Slip of the Tongue
by Mag68
Summary: A series of one shots in which I blatantly and unapologetically disregard realism and go straight to the smut. Some special moments that Lorelai and Luke shared over the years, that I felt could use a little something dirty, just for kicks.
1. Magic Words & Healing Powers of a Bath

**A/N: Okay, so I was thinking it would be kind of fun to take some of our favorite moments, completely disregard canon, and see if we couldn't work these two crazy kids into a clinch. Yes, it's implausible, possibly a little immoral, and maybe a tad out of character, but I thought it could be a kick. After all, you didn't really come in here hoping for a heavy dose of realism, did you? Come on, it's gonna be a good time. So let's set all of those pesky worries about storyline and stuff aside, and see if we can't just have some good dirty fun. Okay? This is the first in a series of one-shots where there was a moment. I just wanted it to be a naked moment. I hope that you enjoy it for what it is. Thanks! Mags**

**Magic Words and the Healing Powers of a Bath**

Lorelai stepped into the warmth of the diner, snagged a coffee cup from a nearby table and clutched it in both hands as she approached the counter with an anxious smile.

"Please, Luke," she started in a low voice. When he looked up at her, his piercing blue eyes boring into hers, she stepped it up a notch. "Please, please, please?"

"Please what?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes never wavering from hers. Lorelai's eyebrows shot up as the innuendo lacing his tone seeped through to her caffeine deprived brain. Luke's lips quirked at the corners as he straightened up to his full height, tipped his head back, and stared down at her challengingly. His stayed eyes locked on her face as his hand moved to the order pad tucked into the waistband of his jeans. "What do you want?" he asked as he saw her eyes follow the movement of his hand.

Lorelai forced her gaze back to his face as she licked her lips and asked, "You're really going to make me do this?"

Luke shrugged and said, "Maybe I just like to hear you ask for it."

"Do you do this with all of your customers?"

Luke raised one eyebrow as he snorted. "Hardly."

"So, I'm special?" she asked, a smile lighting her face.

"Yes, that's what it means," he deadpanned. He braced his hands on the counter, leaning into it, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he asked, "What can I do for you, Lorelai?"

Lorelai's eyes widened slightly as she caught a whiff of his scent; maple syrup mixed with soap and maybe a hint of masculine perspiration. Her breath caught, trapping the scent of him inside of her as she struggled to remember how to breathe again. "Do me," she murmured. Catching herself, she shook her head and held out the mug like a talisman protecting her from his powers. "I mean, coffee, uh, do pour me a cup of coffee," she stammered.

Luke eyed her knowingly as he asked, "How many cups have you had this morning?"

"None."

"Plus?" he prompted.

"Five, but yours is better," Lorelai confessed in a rush.

Luke snatched the coffee pot from the burner. He held up the pot and growled, "You have a problem."

As he poured the rich, dark brew into her mug, Lorelai admitted, "Yes, I do." She took a hasty sip of the hard earned coffee, and rewarded him with a gratified smile

"Junkie," he said in an exasperated tone.

Lorelai's smile turned into a grin as she pulled her hat from her head and purred, "Angel. You've got wings, baby."

"Anything else you want?" he asked, plucking the order pad from his waistband.

"Um, not at the moment," Lorelai said as she backed from the counter.

The phone rang, and Luke nodded to her brusquely as he reached for it. "Luke's!" he barked into the receiver.

Lorelai turned quickly back to the table that she had pilfered the mug from and sank down into her chair cradling it between her palms. Her cheeks burned with what she hoped would be taken as the effects of the winter chill, but she knew was residual heat from the intensity of his stare. She took another tentative sip of her coffee as a young man approached the table. As he attempted to chat her up, Lorelai couldn't help but smile. First, Luke, with the unabashed flirting that laced their every conversation, and now, this guy, Joey, was thinking that he could stop in a town like Stars Hollow and take his pick of the local offerings. She smiled even as she gave him the brush off, telling him to enjoy his time in Hartford. He didn't go down without a fight, though, she had to give him credit for that. She smiled to herself and took another sip of Luke's magic elixir as the bells jingled and Rory slipped into the chair across from her.

"Hey. It's freezing," Rory complained.

Lorelai smiled sympathetically as she asked, "Oh, what do you need? Hot tea, coffee?"

"Lip gloss."

"Aha!" Lorelai said with a nod as she opened her purse and pulled out a cosmetic bag. When Rory rejected the content listed in the first bag, Lorelai proceeded to pull out another. "It has no smell but it changes colors with your mood," she said enticingly.

"God, RuPaul doesn't need this much makeup."

"Wow, you're crabby."

Instantly contrite, Rory ducked her head and said, "I'm sorry. I lost my Macy Gray CD and I need caffeine."

Lorelai made a face and then admitted, "Ooh, I have your CD," as she pulled the CD in question from her seemingly bottomless bag.

"Thief," Rory gasped.

Lorelai winced. "Sorry, and I will get you some coffee," she added as she plucked the empty mug from the table and carried it to the counter.

Luke looked up at her and rolled his eyes in disbelief. "What? It's not for me. It's for Rory, I swear," she insisted.

"You're shameless," Luke grumbled.

Lorelai's jaw dropped at his accusation. "Look, Officer Krupke. She's right at that table, right over there," she said as she turned to point to their table. When she spotted that Joey guy leaning onto their table, chatting with her daughter, her eyes widened. Luke's eyebrows lifted as he poured coffee into the mug and then rocked back on his heels to watch the show. "Ah. He's got quite a pair, this guy," she murmured. Sparing Luke a quick glance, she picked up the mug and muttered, "Thanks" as she walked back to their table.

Luke leaned against the back counter and watched with amusement as Lorelai quickly dispatched the hapless traveler and his friend. When Lorelai slipped into her seat again, she and Rory both leaned in and shared a giggle. Her eyes dancing with amusement, Lorelai looked up and caught Luke staring. She flashed him a smile and a slight shrug, which he acknowledged with a nod. As she turned her attention back to what Rory was saying, Lorelai would swear that she had just seen Luke Danes wink and flash a smile of his own before he disappeared into the kitchen.

****

It had been a long week, fraught with worry filled sleepless nights and culminating with yet another humiliating encounter with her parents. All Lorelai wanted to do was to drown her sorrows in a giant cup of Luke's coffee.

"So, nice dinner at the grandparents' house," Rory said as they walked slowly toward the diner.

"Oh, yeah, her dishes have never been cleaner."

"You and Grandma seemed to have a nice talk," Rory said tentatively.

Lorelai stopped and turned to look at Rory as she asked, "How much did you hear?"

Rory shrugged. "Not much. You know, snippets."

"Snippets?"

"Little snippets."

Lorelai nodded and glanced at the windows of the diner as she said flatly, "So, basically everything."

"Basically, yes," Rory admitted.

Lorelai heaved a heavy sigh and trudged up the steps, reaching for the door handle as she said, "Well, the best laid plans."

"I think it was really brave of you to ask them for money," Rory said as they stepped into the diner.

"Oh, I so do not want to talk about it," Lorelai said tiredly.

"How many meals is it gonna take 'til we're off the hook?"

"I think the deli spread at my funeral will be the last one," Lorelai said dryly, glancing around to diner, hoping to spot Luke. She turned back to Rory as she realized what her daughter had just implied. "Hey, wait, does that mean…"

Rory lifted one shoulder and said, "Can't let a perfectly good plaid skirt go to waste."

Lorelai reached across the table and covered Rory's hand with hers, "Oh, honey, you won't be sorry."

Rory smiled bashfully, and then they both looked up in surprise when Luke suddenly appeared at their table. Lorelai gaped as she saw that the omnipresent hat was missing, and instead of the usual plaid flannel shirt, Luke wore a blue oxford cloth shirt; the collar neatly buttoned down, the tails tucked into a pair of well fitted dark jeans.

Lorelai sucked in hard, forcing the air around the lump that had risen in her throat and then said, "Wow, you look nice. Really nice."

Luke ducked his head shyly and said, "I had a meeting earlier at the bank. They like collars." He lifted his gaze long enough to take her in and mumbled, "You look nice, too."

Lorelai stared at him dumbly for a moment and then covered by saying nonchalantly, "I had a flagellation to go to."

Luke nodded, but asked no further questions. He focused instead on the order pad cupped in his hand. "So, what'll you have?"

"Coffee, in a vat," Lorelai said promptly.

Rory nodded. "I'll have coffee also. And chili fries," she added on impulse.

Luke sighed in exasperation. "That's quite a refined palate you got there," he grumbled as he turned and walked away.

Lorelai watched him go; noting the way the dark denim clung to what was undeniably a fantastic ass. She turned back to Rory and caught the smirk on her daughter's face. Lorelai leaned in and whispered, "Behold the healing powers of a bath." She leaned back in her seat and eyed her daughter carefully. "So, tell me about the guy."

Rory smiled and said, "You know what's really special about our relationship? The total understanding about the need for one's privacy. I mean, you really understand boundaries."

"So tell me about the guy," Lorelai repeated.

"Mom!"

"Is he dreamy?" Lorelai asked as she leaned in closer.

Rory rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, that's so Nick at Night."

"Well, I'm gonna find out anyway," Lorelai shrugged.

"Really? How?"

"I'll spy."

Rory eyed her mother shrewdly and said, "Why don't you tell me about the guy."

"Your guy?" Lorelai asked with a confused frown.

"Your guy," Rory retorted.

"What guy?" Lorelai asked as Luke approached the table, coffee mugs and plate in hand.

"Coffee, fries…" he said as he placed the cups in front of them and then slid the plate onto the table. He straightened up and then hesitated for a moment. "I can't stand it. This is so unhealthy," he blurted as Rory picked up her mug and took a sip. "Rory, please, put down that cup of coffee. You do not want to grow up to be like your mom."

Rory grinned as she glanced up at Luke and then looked directly at Lorelai as she said, "Sorry, too late."

Luke heaved a heavy sigh and then walked away, shaking his head in disgust. Lorelai giggled and then turned to watch him walk away again, admiring the way the fabric of his shirt stretched taut across his broad shoulders.

"That guy," Rory said pointedly.

"You're nuts. So tell me about the guy," Lorelai said as she focused intently on her daughter, trying to school her features and calm her pounding heart.

"Check, please," Rory said teasingly.

"No, really, are you embarrassed to bring him home?" Lorelai persisted.

"I'm not embarrassed. Are you?" Rory asked as she glanced meaningfully at the counter.

Lorelai chose to ignore her insinuations, instead asking, "Does he talk at all?" as she speared a chili drenched French fry with her fork.

"No, Mom, he's a mime," Rory said dryly. "Does yours speak only grunt?"

"Why do you keep saying that? There's nothing going on with me and Luke," Lorelai hissed.

"Yet," Rory added as she popped another French fry into her mouth.

"Ever," Lorelai said firmly.

"So, nice dinner at the grandparents' house," Rory said with a smug smile.

"The flatware was sparkling," Lorelai answered with a grin.

They amused themselves by heaping overzealous compliments on Emily's décor, the flowers and the food served at the elder Gilmore's house. Giggling and one-upping each other until there was a minor fork fight for the last French fry on the plate. Lorelai proved triumphant, chewing happily on her prize while Rory checked her watch.

"Oh! If I hurry, Lane has about twenty minutes of phone time left," Rory said as she slipped into her coat.

Lorelai nodded and said, "Go, but don't tell her anything that you wouldn't tell me."

"See you in a little while," Rory said as she stood up, pulling her hair from the collar of her coat as she reached for the door.

The bells rang out, signaling her departure, and Luke stepped out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel as he surveyed the empty diner. He approached Lorelai's table, just as she looked around, noticing for the first time that she was the only one left in the place. She smiled up at him and nodded to her mug as she asked, "Any chance of more?"

"That all depends on you," he answered as tapped table lightly with his fingertips.

Lorelai looked down at his hand, and then let her eyes travel slowly up his arm as she tipped her head back to meet his eyes again. "What do I have to do?" she asked, the question coming out a little more breathlessly than she intended.

"You don't _have_ to do anything," Luke pointed out as he turned toward the counter.

Lorelai cocked her head as she stood up to follow him. "But you said it all depends on me," she said as she grabbed her mug and trailed Luke to the end of the counter.

Luke lifted the pot from the burner and held it up as he had just days before. "Say please, Lorelai," he teased.

Lorelai's gaze dropped from his eyes to his curved lips, as she softly said, "Please, Luke? Please, please, please?"

Luke's smile faded slowly as he lowered the pot. His lips parted under the intensity of her stare and his brow furrowed in confusion as she set her coffee mug on the counter. He froze in place as Lorelai reached up, and brushed her fingertips through the soft wave of his hair, combing it back over his ear. "What are you doing?" he asked his voice low and husky.

"I don't think I've ever really seen your hair before. You always wear a hat," she mused. "It's soft." Her hand slipped behind his ear, twisting one of the fine curls around her finger. "Curls," she whispered, almost to herself.

Luke's arm swung out, the coffee sloshing in the bowl of the pot as he placed it clumsily on the counter. "Lorelai?" he asked hoarsely.

"Please, Luke?" Lorelai said softly as she raised her other hand and touched the very tips of her fingers to his lips. "Please, please, please?" she said, her voice growing stronger with each plea.

To her relief, Lorelai found that she need not ask again. Luke's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him as her hand slipped to the open collar of his shirt. He looked into her eyes for a moment, his breath coming fast as he searched for confirmation that this was indeed what she was asking for. When he felt her fingers slide to the side of his neck and stroke the soft skin beneath his ear, his forearm tensed and hardened into a band of steel as he pressed her against his hard body and bent his head bringing his lips to hers.

"Oh," Lorelai sighed softly against his lips. He kissed her ardently, drawing her lips against his, the palm of his hand cupping her cheek as his fingers wound their way into her hair. One hand was tangled in his hair as the other glided slowly over his throat, feeling his adam's apple bob as he pulled back, his long, sooty lashes sweeping upward lazily, his eyes dark and clouded with repressed desire. Lorelai looked into those fathomless eyes and said in the barest whisper, "Please?"

Luke reached for her, lifting both hands to frame her face and tipping her chin up as he trailed his thumbs along her jaw. An involuntary moan escaped her parted lips. "You're killing me," he said as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her hungrily.

Lorelai yielded to him willingly, parting her lips against his as she clung to his shoulders, curling her fingers into the crisp cotton of his shirt. Like a flame to a fuse, Luke's tongue brushed the tip of hers, and Lorelai arched into him wantonly. She wrapped one arm tightly around his neck as her other hand cradled the back of his head, holding him to her as he drank her in. Luke angled his head, taking the kiss deeper, desperately seeking more and more as his tongue danced over hers. He turned, pressing her back into the counter, pressing the hard length of his arousal against her, and grinding against her when she gasped into his mouth.

Luke lowered one hand to the counter, bracing himself against the onslaught of her kisses, holding himself steady as he tried to withstand the sensation of Lorelai Gilmore's lips against his, Lorelai Gilmore's hands on his body, Lorelai Gilmore's soft breasts molding to his chest, Lorelai Gilmore's hips circling instinctively, undulating in response to his demands. Her fingers trailed from his shoulder to his throat once more, playing over the hollow at its very base and slipping down into the vee of his collar. Lorelai kissed him back heatedly, moaning her appreciation as she felt the slight tickle of chest hair against her fingertips. She fumbled frantically with the tiny plastic button, desperate to get to his skin. Once it slipped free, she pressed her palm to his chest, her fingers curling into the fine, soft hair she had claimed as her own.

With a desperate grunt, Luke ducked his head, tearing his mouth from hers, his chest heaving with barely contained desire as he stepped back and stared at her wide eyed. "We're in the diner," he panted, looking around the room as if he had never seen it before.

Lorelai shook her head as she said, "I don't care."

"Lorelai," he said, his voice breaking with need.

Lorelai shook her head harder and closed her eyes as she said, "I don't. I don't care where we are. Don't stop."

"We can't," he said as he reached out and encircled her wrist with his fingers, trying to ground her in reality.

Lorelai wanted no part of his reality trip. Her pulse raced beneath the warmth of his gentle touch. She opened her eyes once more and looked at him boldly as she lifted her chin and said, "I don't care. I want you. Here. Now." In his eyes, she saw the war raging within him, and turned the hand that he held until she offered him her open palm. "Please, Luke?" she whispered. "Don't make me beg."

"No," he murmured. "No," he said in a stronger voice as he laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand tightly. He raised their joined hands to his lips, his eyes locked on hers as he kissed the back of her hand. "Give me a minute," he said in a throaty voice as he slipped away from her.

Lorelai wrapped her arms around her middle to ward off the sudden chill brought on by the loss of his heat, and watched as Luke moved quickly to the door. He turned the lock, flipped the sign to 'closed', and then turned out the last of the overhead lights, leaving only the glow of the tiny table lamps to light the room. He turned and walked back to her, frowning slightly at the way she hugged herself tightly; her shoulders hunched and her eyes downcast. He reached up and gently tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather just have another cup of coffee?" he asked softly, breaking the silence that stretched between them.

Lorelai looked up, her eyes bright with a mixture of fear and determination. "I'm sure," she whispered.

Luke licked his lips nervously. "You don't sound very sure." His fingers trailed lightly over her upper arm as he said, "Why don't I walk you home?"

"Please, Luke," Lorelai began.

A nervous laugh escaped him. "You have to stop saying that. Don't you know I'd give you anything you asked for?" he asked raggedly.

Lorelai looked up, lifting her hand to his cheek, and stroked it lightly, enjoying the rasp of his five o'clock shadow. "You would, wouldn't you?" she asked in a voice filled with wonder.

"Yes."

Lorelai searched his eyes, seeking even the slightest waver, an inkling of subterfuge, or a hint of calculation; but finding only warmth reflected in their depths. She leaned up and brushed her lips softly over his, her breath tickling his cheek, her perfume flooding his senses. His breath escaped him in a rush as he murmured, "Let me walk you home."

"No," she whispered, pressing her lips to his and kissing him lingeringly.

"Please, Lorelai," he whispered against her warm mouth. "Please, please, please," he said in a voice aching with need as he punctuated each plea with a tender kiss.

"Take me upstairs," she said in a quiet but firm voice.

Wordlessly, Luke took her hand in his, enveloping her fingers in his palm, and leading her to the curtain at the end of the counter. He held it aside as she stepped through, and pulled him along after her. Lorelai's fingers skimmed the wall as she crooked her arm behind her, nestling their joined hands into the small of her back as she began to climb the creaking wooden steps.

Luke's eyes stayed locked on her, trying to memorize the soft sheen of her glossy dark hair, the straight line of her back under the soft knit of her dress, and the curve of her hips as they swayed from side to side with each step. He had to force himself to blink, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Lorelai Gilmore was leading him up to his apartment where she would undoubtedly expect him to make love to her. Luke's eyes widened as the thought finally registered. His brain kicked into overdrive as he frantically tried to remember what condition he had left the apartment in that afternoon when he changed to go to the bank. He searched his mind, trying desperately to recall the last time he had changed the sheets on his bed. When they reached the upstairs landing Lorelai turned, releasing his hand and placing hers coyly behind her back as she leaned against the wall beside the frosted glass door.

Luke dug in his pocket for his keys. As he pulled the ring free, he mumbled, "It might be a mess."

"I couldn't care less," Lorelai answered with a small smile.

Luke unlocked the door and turned the knob, letting it swing open as he reached for the light switch. When the lights came on, he turned to look at her and chuckled nervously. "I might be kind of a mess," he admitted.

Lorelai's smile widened as her eyes lit with delight, making his breath catch in his chest. Lorelai pushed away from the wall with her palms, each movement fluid as she reached up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt as she backed into the apartment. "I'll straighten you out," she promised with a twinkle in her eye.

Luke's own smile grew, flashing teeth so white that her eyes widened at the sight of it. "I bet you will," he said in a low, soft voice. He gave the apartment door a careless flick of his wrist, and a moment later, it slammed shut behind them.

"Dear God, Luke," she said as she threw her head back and laughed, the throaty sound of it arrowing straight to his gut.

"Yes?" he asked, cocking one eyebrow at her devilishly.

"Kiss me. Kiss me now," she demanded as she pulled on his arms, urging him closer as she stepped out of her pumps.

Luke pulled her roughly to him, his arms encircling her tightly, his hands splayed over her back as she melted into him. He lowered his head until his lips were millimeters from hers and then asked, "What's the magic word?"

"Coffee," she breathed.

"I'm crazy about you," he confessed, his lips grazing the corner of her mouth.

"I can't breathe," she whispered. When he immediately loosened his hold on her, she shook her head, clinging to his arms and squeezing the hard muscles that tensed beneath his shirt. "I look at you, and sometimes I can't breathe," she confessed. "Kiss me."

Luke kissed her, his lips sliding over hers; firm but soft, demanding and yielding. Lorelai's head spun as she held onto him, her knees weakening beneath the gentle assault on her senses. He deepened the kiss, parting her lips with this tongue, and letting it glide over hers, drawing her in slowly. He trailed hot wet kisses over her cheek, and Lorelai let her head fall back, gulping in huge breaths of air as she squeezed his shoulders. "Now I can breathe," she whispered to the ceiling. Luke pressed his open mouth to the silky skin on her neck, his tongue circling the pulse that throbbed in her throat as his hand slid slowly from her hip to the dip of her narrow waist, up over her ribcage and brushed the soft curve of her breast as if committing her every curve to memory with his touch. "Oh, God," she whispered in a hoarse voice. Her hands flew to the buttons on his shirt, and she began to tug at them impatiently. "Need," she panted as she worked the first one free.

Luke worked his way down her throat, bending at the knees to allow her access to his shirt without having to remove his mouth from her delectable skin. Lorelai's smile was triumphant as she worked the tail of the shirt free from his jeans, releasing the last two buttons with haste and pushing the fabric aside. "Off," she commanded as she ran her hands greedily over his chest and to his shoulders, pushing the shirt away from his smooth skin and yanking it down his arms.

Luke chuckled as he reluctantly lifted his head. He reached behind her, quickly unbuttoning the cuffs of the shirt and letting it slide from his arms. Before she could get a good look at him, his arms were around her again and he was kissing her hard and hot, crushing her to him as her hands roamed over his bare back, raking her nails over the muscles that tensed and rippled under his soft skin. His hands were everywhere, tracing the curve of her spine, molding to the shape of her hips, caressing the curve of her ass as he ground into her, the length of his denim encased erection pressing into her stomach. "Zipper?" he grunted as he pulled back, gasping for air.

"Up," Lorelai answered as she tugged on the buckle of his belt. "Pull it up."

Luke gathered the skirt of her dress in his hands, pulling it up over her hips and slipping his hands under it only when he reached the safety of her waist. "Arms," he whispered urgently.

With a mew of frustration, Lorelai released his belt and raised her arms over her head, allowing him to pull the dress up over her head. The moment he cast it aside, she grabbed the end of his belt and pulled hard, freeing it from the clasp and sliding it from the buckle before she tugged impatiently at the button on his jeans, and smiled with satisfaction as the rest of the buttons on the fly popped free.

Luke stepped back, putting what he considered a safe distance between them as he lowered his mouth to her shoulder and nipped gently before letting his tongue trace the outline of her collarbone. He dipped his tongue into the hollow of her throat and groaned as he bent his knees, lowering himself to kiss the tops of her breasts above the lace edge of her bra. "Too fast," he murmured.

"Not fast enough," she countered.

Luke's nimble fingers found the clasp of her bra and deftly unhooked it. Lorelai blinked in surprise and then laughed as she said, "You're good."

"Just keeping up with demand," he answered as he sank to his knees in front of her, dragging the straps of her bra down her arms as he went. He pressed his open mouth to her stomach, and exhaled soft and slowly as he reached up to cup her breasts. Lorelai moaned as he caressed her, his thumbs teasing the upturned tips. "Bed," he rasped against her skin, trailing hot wet kisses as he lowered his ass to his heels, licking, sucking and nipping his way over her taut curve of her stomach, his hands smoothing over her skin, tracing the gentle swell of flesh between her hips reverently.

He tugged at the top of her panties with teeth and Lorelai curled her fingers into his shoulders. "Bed," she agreed, pulling on his arms to urge him to stand up.

Luke closed his eyes and pressed his nose to the front of her panties, inhaling deeply before he opened his eyes and looked up at her, his heart in his eyes.

Lorelai licked her dry lips, her eyes locked on his as he knelt in front of her. Finally, she lifted her hands from his shoulders and offered them both to him to help him up. Luke rocked back on his heels, and placing his hands in hers, stood up, his eyes never wavering from hers. Lorelai lifted his hands to her mouth and brushed a kiss over the knuckles on each hand before wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. Lorelai pressed her cheek to his shoulder as he cradled her head, gently stroking her hair. They stood wrapped up in each other for a moment, their hearts beating against one another, the sound of their breathing filling the room.

Luke moved first, tipping her face up to his and kissing her soulfully. He pulled away, bending at the waist to sweep her legs out from under her. Lorelai yelped and grasped for his shoulders, laughing as he lifted her into his arms, stepped back slightly to adjust to her weight and then walked to the bed in five long strides. Lorelai giggled as he placed her as gently as he could atop the narrow mattress. Luke took a step back, watching in wonder her eyes shone happily up at him.

"You're beautiful," he breathed.

"I bet you say that to all of the almost naked women on your bed," she shot back with a wicked grin.

Luke shook his head mutely, and swallowed hard as his eyes raked over her from head to toe. "Beautiful," he insisted.

Lorelai's smile warmed with pleasure as the sincerity rang out in his hoarse voice. "Come here," she said as she reached for him.

Luke held up a finger to delay her, and quickly bent to unlace his boots. He stepped out of them, hopping clumsily on one foot as he tried to strip off his socks. Lorelai laughed, the sound of it sending a rush of color to his cheeks as he looked up at her. "The jeans too," she said as she beamed at him.

Luke quickly pushed his jeans down over his hips, the front of his boxer briefs straining to contain his arousal as he shoved them down over his legs and stepped on the hems to free his feet. When he stood up, Lorelai's eyes widened appreciatively as she sat up and reached for him once more. Kneeling on the very edge of the bed, Luke lowered himself to her, capturing her lips in a searing kiss as he pushed her back, covering her with the solid bulk of his body.

Tongues tangled, hands grappled, moans escaped and skin slid against skin as Lorelai writhed beneath his weight. She raked her nails over the solid wall of his muscular back, relishing the feel of his silky skin under her fingertips as she soothed it once more. Their kisses grew more demanding. Luke's mouth blazed a fiery trail down her neck, as he pushed back on his hands, kissing his way down her throat, across her collarbone and down to the curve of her breast. His hands caressed the soft mounds, stroking her possessively as she arched against him, desperate for the friction she craved. Luke showered each breast with soft kisses, moving from to the other, studiously avoiding the hardened tips that begged for his attention.

Finally, he knelt between her legs, his mouth poised just above her, his breath warming the rosy tip, making her ache for relief. He looked up at her and found her watching him, her breathing shallow through her parted lips. "Please," she whispered. Luke touched the tip of his tongue to her beaded nipple, looking up at her through his lashes. Lorelai fisted her hand in the back of his hair and softly cried, "Oh, please."

Luke opened his mouth, laving her with his tongue, drawing her in and suckling so gently Lorelai though she would burst. When he drew her deeper into his warm mouth, Lorelai's hips bucked and she pressed down onto his knee, undulating against him. Luke groaned loudly as her damp heat seeped through her panties, branding his skin, driving him wild. He released her and moved to the other breast, pulling her nipple into his mouth roughly and sucking hard. Lorelai's eyes flew open as he caught her between his teeth and bit gently before soothing her with his tongue. "Luke!" she gasped as she ground against his knee, pressing her head back into the pillow. "Oh!" she cried as he sucked harder, driving her up and over the edge. Lorelai clutched at his back as the waves of pleasure rushed through her. Her breath caught as she struggled to fill her lungs with precious oxygen. She blinked in wonder, gazing up at the ceiling as she tried to figure out how it was possible for him to make her want so badly.

Luke nuzzled the soft underside of her breast, a soft hum of satisfaction rumbling from his chest as he kissed his way down over her stomach. "So beautiful," he murmured against her skin.

"Oh my God," Lorelai whispered as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that he wasn't nearly done with her yet.

Luke hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties as he moved toward the end of the bed, dragging the pesky scrap of satin in his wake. Once he had discarded them, he ran his hands over her calves to her thighs, kneading the flesh with barely contained ardor. Unable to resist, he parted her legs with his palms, sliding down to the mattress and watching in fascination as she parted and opened for him. His breath rushed over her damp folds as he stared in wonder at the glistening pink folds. "Oh God," he said in a choked voice. "Oh, Lorelai," he murmured as he pressed his nose to the soft curls at the apex of her legs.

The scent of her arousal was almost too much for him to bear. Luke pushed up, abruptly lifting his hips from the mattress and folding his legs under him. He touched his tongue to the tantalizing pink bud that peeked from her folds and drowning her soft moan of surrender with a loud groan of desire. He lapped at her greedily, drawing her into his mouth and sucking deeply, demanding her response. Lorelai hands clutched at his hair and shoulders, her hips lifting to meet each stroke of his tongue, offering herself up to him, urging him to take more and more. He pressed the tip of one finger to her entrance, and pressed it into her wet heat as she moaned his name. He stroked her steadily, his tongue mirroring each thrust of his finger as she pressed down onto him, her nails digging into the skin of his shoulders as he pushed her higher and higher. "Oh no, no, no," she whispered as she felt another climax building.

"Yes," Luke growled against her.

"Yes," she cried loudly as she broke. Spasms wracked her body, trapping him inside of her, the rush of heat almost smothering him as he pressed his lips into her, licking and sucking hungrily until he felt her muscles grow lax and liquid, her bones seemingly melting into the mattress as she pulled at his arms, urging him up to her.

Luke rose up over her, bracing his weight with a hand on either side of her head as he gazed down at her, his eyes heavy lidded and hazy with desire. Lorelai wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down, urging his weight onto her. A soft purr escaped her as Luke gave in, pressing into her as he rained soft kisses over her forehead and temple, trailing them into her soft hair and breathing in the fruity fragrance of her shampoo. "Okay?" he asked softly.

A breathy laugh escaped her as Lorelai ran her hands over him affectionately. "There's the understatement of the year," she said in a husky voice, the timbre of it sending a jolt through him. "I need to touch you."

Luke buried his face in her neck, his body hard and unyielding as he pinned her to the bed. "I don't think I can take much touching right now," he said with a rueful smile.

"I want to touch you. I want to taste you," she whispered. "Do you want me to say please?"

Luke chuckled and said, "Well, it is the polite thing to do."

Lorelai smiled and pressed her palms flat on his back, pressing them into his skin and pulling them up the length of him possessively. Her fingers fluttered over his skin, tracing the column of his spine and slipping beneath the elastic on his shorts. She stroked the firm curve of his ass teasingly as she whispered, "It's only polite that I reciprocate."

Luke kept his face buried in her hair as he softly said, "I can't. I'm too, um… I won't be able to, uh, stop."

Lorelai nodded and kissed his hair softly as she said, "Okay. Next time."

Luke tried to focus his thoughts, desperately trying to tamp down the surge of desire that rushed through his veins flooding him with warmth. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm the pounding of his heart. "Next time," he breathed.

They lie quietly for a moment, Lorelai gently rubbing the arch of her foot over the taut muscle of his calf as she ran her fingers along the elastic at his waist. Luke lifted his head and kissed her sweetly. When he pulled back, Lorelai smiled and asked, "How're you doin'?"

Luke's smile was instantaneous as he answered, "Much better. You?"

"I'm great."

"Yes, you are," Luke agreed as he kissed her again. He parted her lips with his tongue, plunging into her and losing himself in her kiss.

Lorelai tugged on his boxer briefs, anxious to be rid of the last remaining barrier. "Off," she panted as he kissed his way to her ear.

"Not yet," he said in a low, husky whisper.

"I want you naked," she said firmly.

"Gimme a minute," he said as he drew her earlobe into his mouth and sucked gently.

"I want you in me," she whispered in his ear.

Luke closed his eyes and chuckled as he said, "I'm trying to make it there." He kissed his way down her neck. "Been a while," he murmured against her throat.

"Me too. I want to feel you," she said urgently.

Her words were his undoing. Luke pushed back and moved down between her thighs once more. Slipping his hands beneath her, he lifted her hips from the bed and began to feast on her once more. Soft sighs of appreciation turned to tiny moans of approval he teased her with his tongue, stroking her fervently, driving her up once more. When each flick of his talented tongue became too much to bear, Lorelai reached for him. "Now, Luke," she said as her hands framed his face.

"Now," he agreed as he reached for the waistband of his briefs and pushed them down. Lorelai watched as he kicked them off of the end of the bed, and then sat up to meet him. As she wrapped her warm, soft hand around his erection, Luke released a deep guttural groan. Lorelai slid her fingers along the length of him, appreciating the heavy weight of his arousal in her palm. "Please," he said in a choked voice as he stilled her hand. He blinked rapidly as he looked into her bright blue eyes beseechingly. "Please," he said as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

Lorelai lay back on the pillow and beckoned to him, welcoming him into her embrace as he lowered himself onto her once more. His cock twitched and jumped as he came in contact with her soft, damp curls, and he bit his lip hard. Tasting the metallic tang of blood on his tongue, he winced.

Lorelai's face softened as she reached up to caress his cheek. "What did you do?" she asked as she shook her head slowly. "Poor lip," she murmured as she pulled him down to kiss his injured lip gently. She traced the planes of his face with her fingertips, kissing him softly, teasing his lips with the tip of her tongue as his hips rocked against hers. Lorelai deepened the kiss shifting slightly to urge him into position. When Luke tried to pull back, Lorelai held him still, her fingers weaving into the soft curls at his neck.

Luke kissed her again, focusing solely on the feel of her lips against his, Luke settled himself at her entrance, and began to sink slowly into her heat. He parted his lips, drawing her tongue into his mouth as her walls closed tightly around him. When he was fully sheathed in her, Luke broke the kiss, gasping for air.

Lorelai ran her hands up his back and purred, "You feel so good."

"Oh, please," he said in a rush as she grabbed his ass and pulled him closer still.

"So polite. Yes, please," Lorelai said with a feline smile.

Luke squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he began to move cautiously. Lorelai wrapped her legs around his hips, lifting herself slightly, and snapping what little control he had. "Lorelai," he groaned as he began to thrust into her.

Lorelai moaned as he moved faster. "Yes," she said softly.

Luke was lost as she pulled him deeper and deeper, her muscles squeezing him. "I can't," he said breathlessly.

"Mmm," Lorelai hummed, as turned on by his obvious excitement as she was by his cock filling her. "Little more," she whispered encouragingly.

"No," he groaned as he felt his climax ripping through him.

"Yes," she countered as she felt him surging into her. "Yes, yes." Lorelai closed her eyes, riding the waves of his release with him, and when he did not slow, she opened them to find him staring down at her, his jaw clenched in determination. "Luke," she whispered as she fought to keep her eyes open. His lips trembled and he pressed them together as he drove into her. He felt her muscles contract around him, holding him tightly as gentle ripples of relief coursed through her body again. "Oh," she sighed softly.

Lorelai pulled on his quaking arms, gathering him to her as relaxed into her soft, welcoming body. Luke pressed tender kisses to her brow, trailing down into her hair, and whispering a soft, "Thank you," into the shell of her ear.

Lorelai smiled, her fingers stroking his hair, smoothing down his back and caressing the curve of his ass as she kissed his cheek. Luke slipped his hands under her as he drew back and then rolled onto his side, opening his eyes slowly to find her staring at him. "What?" he asked gruffly.

Lorelai laughed and said, "You know what."

"Shh," he said as he shifted onto his back, holding her close against him.

"Tiny bed," she whispered as she trailed her fingers through the fine hair that dusted his stomach.

"Sorry."

"Cozy," she said with a smile.

Luke pressed a kiss to her forehead, and Lorelai tipped her head up to look at him. He kissed her softly and whispered, "Sorry," again.

"I like it," she said with a smile.

Luke stilled the hand that was coming dangerously close to tickling him, and laced his fingers through hers. "I meant, sorry about, uh, you know."

"The three orgasms?" she asked bluntly. Lorelai chuckled and said, "Yeah, try to do better."

"Lorelai," he groaned.

"Well, I don't know why you're apologizing," she said as she rolled her eyes. "I totally kicked your butt."

"You did," he answered with a smile.

Lorelai ducked her head and rubbed her cheek to his chest, breathing him in and exhaling with a contented sigh. They lay quietly for a few minutes, her foot rubbing his, his fingers sliding through hers as the rested on his stomach. Lorelai kissed his chest softly and then said in a voice tinged with regret, "I have to go home."

"I know," he said quietly.

"Um, I need the, uh, bathroom," she whispered.

"Oh, sorry. Right there," he said as he pointed to the door.

Lorelai nodded and moved to sit up, pushing her hair back from her face. She turned away from him, suddenly self-conscious, and looked around for something to slip into. When she came up empty, she turned to glance at him nervously. "I may need to use your brush," she said as she stood up quickly and hurried into the bathroom on wobbly legs.

When the door closed behind her, Luke sighed and muttered, "I think you've earned it." He sat up and scooted to the end of the bed, looking around for his underwear. He located it, and quickly pulled it on before he stood up to gather her discarded clothing. He let her bra and panties dangle from his fingers as he reached down to pick up her dress and shook it out. When he heard the water shut off in the bathroom, he tapped lightly on the door and said, "Uh, here's your stuff."

Lorelai opened the door a crack and her hand snaked out as she said, "Thanks." She closed the door once more, and Luke sighed, hanging his head a little as he went to retrieve his jeans and shirt.

He sat fully clothed on the edge of the bed, tying his boots when she stepped out of the bathroom, smoothing her hair nervously. "Oh," she said as he stood up and shook the legs of his jeans down.

"What?"

"You're, um, dressed," she said as she gestured to him.

"Well, I thought I'd, uh, walk you home," he said cautiously.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Oh, that's nice." Luke scowled as she walked past him to where she had kicked her shoes off and worked her feet into the pumps. Once they were in place, she smoothed her palms over the skirt of her dress and asked, "Ready?"

"Sure," Luke said gruffly as he followed her to the door. As he pulled it closed, he yanked the keys that still dangled from the lock free and dropped them into his pocket before hurrying down the steps after her. Lorelai walked through the curtain and straight to the diner door, not bothering to wait for him before she flipped the lock and pulled it open, the bells breaking the thick silence.

They walked side by side across the square, dragging the silence along behind them like a dredge. Unsure of how he was supposed to act, Luke buried his hands in his pockets, casting about for something to say. "Uh, I hear that Rory got into that school in Hartford."

"Oh, yeah, Chilton," Lorelai confirmed with a nod.

"Good, that'll be good for her."

"Yeah, really good," Lorelai confirmed.

They lapsed back into silence as they turned down her street. By the time they reached her driveway, Luke couldn't take it anymore. Just short of the halo cast by her porch light, he reached out and grasped her elbow, pulling her to a stop. When Lorelai turned to face him, the moon gave away the fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just, I have to know. Was that all that was?" he asked, cringing as his voice broke a little. "You said next time. Is there not going to be a next time? I mean, not a next time for that, but a next time at all? You and me?"

Lorelai eyed him warily as she asked, "Do you want there to be a next time?"

Luke rolled his eyes, incredulous as he said, "Yes! Yes, I want there to be a next time."

"A next time for that, or a next time for you and me?" she asked cautiously.

"Well, more than that," he said impatiently. "Not that that wasn't great. It was great, but that wasn't the that that I was asking about."

"You mean like a dating that?"

"Yes, dating. That's the that I was talking about."

Lorelai smiled and said, "Well, I guess it all depends on you."

"Me?"

"Well, yeah. You'll have to ask me out if you want to go on a date," she said, her smile widening and her eyes dancing with pleasure.

Luke huffed in frustration. "Do you want to go out with me?" he demanded.

"Was that an invitation?"

"Yes," he snapped.

Lorelai reached up and placed her hand on his chest as she looked at him sternly. "What's the magic word?"

"Please," he responded automatically.

"Please what?"

Luke laughed as he shook his head at her. "Please, Lorelai? Please, please, please?"

Lorelai glanced over her shoulder at the house and then turned back to him. She tipped her face up as she pulled him down with a fistful of his shirt and kissed him. "Pick me up at seven?" she whispered.

"Yes," Luke said quietly. "You'll be in for breakfast?"

"Yes, and I want refills without having to beg for them," she said as she gave him a pat on the chest.

Luke smiled and said, "Maybe I just like to hear you ask for it." He kissed her again, his lips lingering on hers for a moment. "Goodnight, Lorelai," he whispered as he pulled her close and hugged her tightly.

Lorelai flashed a brilliant smile as she backed away slowly. "Night, Luke." With a tiny little wave, she turned and dashed up the porch steps. She smiled over her shoulder as she opened the front door, and slipped quietly inside.

Luke turned away slowly, taking his time as he ambled down her driveway, his hands in his pockets and a small smile curving his lips. "And, thank you," he said under his breath as he turned down the street toward the town square.


	2. Shoot for the Stars

**A/N: Are you ready for our next trip into the land of the improbable? Strap on your dancing shoes, willingly suspend your disbelief and give it a whirl.**

**Shoot for the Stars**

He had been kicking himself for hours. Luke pulled his keys from his jeans pocket as he hit the crash bar on the front doors of his old school, and stepped out into the crisp early morning air. _This is it, this is your chance. Don't blow it. Don't act like an ass. Just tell her what you really want_, he coached himself as he jogged down the steps and into the street heading for the diner.

The frustrating thing was that half the time he didn't even know why he said the things he did. Logically, he knew it was a defense mechanism. The surly comments, the grumpy attitude, the heavy blanket of cynicism that he liked to drape over everything, even those most basic hopes and dreams that most people have in common. And he knew that he didn't really feel that way. Why was it so hard for him to admit that he wanted the same things that anyone else would want? A house, a family, a wife to kiss him hello when he came home to that house, a partner to share the worries of the day with, a lover to warm the cold, lonely nights.

Luke shoved his key into the lock on the diner door, and turned it with a quick flick of his wrist. "Why can't I just tell her?" he asked himself as he slammed the door behind him. Using only the dim light he had left on behind the counter to guide him, Luke made his way to the cash register and opened the drawer just beneath. He rummaged through the accumulated detritus and, at last, wrapped his fingers around the bottle of glue that lurked in the very back.

Gripping it tightly in his hand, he willed his sleep deprived brain to focus. And focus it did. Suddenly, he found himself picturing Lorelai draped across his bed. Naked. He saw himself bending over her, squeezing super glue from a giant bottle onto her gleaming white skin, coating her with it as she gazed up at him, her eyes wide. He lowered himself to her, pressing his bare skin to hers, as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, holding him close, bonding them together.

Luke shook his head to dislodge the bizarre and vaguely disturbing picture from his fuzzy brain. There was a reason why they used sleep deprivation to wear people down. _He had to tell her._ _Tell her that he wasn't as anti-kid as his idiotic comments sounded. Tell her that he wanted more out of his life than a diner and a tiny office converted into an apartment. As he slammed the diner door behind him once more,_ that nagging little voice in his head awoke with a jolt. _Why does it matter? She doesn't care what you want. Do you really think that she would ever consider having kids with you? It really doesn't matter,_ it said mockingly. _But what if?_ Another part of his brain answered_. What if she did notice you? What if you did have a shot? What if she woke up one morning and decided that she wanted you, but dismissed the thought because she knew that you don't want all the things that she may want? What if she was just waiting for you to finally make a damn move?_

Luke slowed as he looked up at the high school blankly. He glanced over at Miss Patty's and saw the volunteers attending to those who had already called it quits on the insanity taking place in the gymnasium, and then looked back at the building that had held him hostage for four of the longest years of his life. He ran his hand over his face, trying to calm the warring factions in his brain. When he reached the sidewalk in front of the school, he stopped and suddenly felt an eerie calm seeping through him. He knew that this was it. This was his chance. At least, he was pretty sure that he knew. He thought that he did. He just had to say it. He just had to be clear.

****

Lorelai watched Luke weave his way through the stragglers, admiring his broad shoulders as he moved purposefully toward the gymnasium doors. _There he goes, my knight in purple and blue flannel. I like that shirt, _she mused to herself as he turned left and disappeared from view, _it makes his eyes really blue_.Lorelai shook her head to dislodge the thought, smiling at her punch-drunk observations of one of her best friends. She looked down at the broken heel in her hand and twirled it between her fingers. _Drop another sucker in this mess._ His caustic words echoed through her brain as she stared at the heel. Lorelai sighed, briefly wondering why it should surprise her that he felt that way. Luke had made his thoughts on all things domestic perfectly clear over the years. But still, she couldn't help feeling the little twinge she felt when he said that.

The fact was, he baffled her. She wondered if Luke even realized what he was squandering. _Women would kill to have a man like him; strong, capable, handsome and caring. The flannel didn't hide as much as he thought it did_, Lorelai thought with a smirk. _Such a waste. _She smiled sadly as she smoothed her damp palm against her skirt. She turned and saw Rory's arms draped over Dean's shoulders as they swayed slowly on the dance floor. He was always so good to Rory. Not in an obvious, 'look at how nice I am being to this kid,' kind of way, just in a very Luke way.

And they counted on him, probably more than they should, but they did. Luke was the go-to guy. The first one she turned to when she needed help, and Lorelai Gilmore didn't ask for help. At least, not as a rule. But she would ask Luke. Lorelai sometimes stopped to wonder why, but the only answer that she could ever come up with was that he was Luke. He never made a big deal out of things. He never made her feel like she couldn't handle things. He simply helped, accepted a quiet 'thank you' and nothing need ever be said again.

She appreciated that. She appreciated him for exactly who and what he was. _She had absolutely no right whatsoever to feel disappointed in him,_ she told herself sternly. But it wasn't Luke that she felt the disappointment for, really. He seemed content; confident in the way he had chosen to live his life. No, she wasn't disappointed in Luke; she was just a little disappointed on behalf of women in general. All of them, everywhere. Those who don't know a great guy like Luke Danes, and those who did, but would never have what they could have with him.

"Hey. Are you guys out?" Sookie asked as she approached, startling Lorelai from her reverie.

Lorelai jumped slightly and held up the heel. "No, my shoe broke. Luke's fixing it."

Sookie smiled and said, "Oh, good. Thank God for Luke, huh?"

Lorelai laughed softly and ducked her head as she said, "Yeah, thanks God for Luke."

"Listen, I just feel terrible about what happened," Sookie said in a rush.

"I know. How's Jackson?"

"Oh, he's fine. We went home, and he calmed down, and we talked. He totally understands and he's open to anything I want," Sookie said with a relieved smile.

Lorelai smiled back at her friend and said, "That's great," as she tried to ignore the tiny pang of jealousy that zinged through her.

"Now, tell me what I want," Sookie demanded.

"No way," Lorelai scoffed, jealousy gone.

"But I'm not sure."

Lorelai shook her head and said, "Then flip a coin 'cause I am staying so far out of this."

"You're my best friend," Sookie said indignantly.

"Yes, I am, and I can only remain your best friend as long as Jackson doesn't kill me."

"Lorelai…"

"Sookie, he's a produce man. They'll never find the body, but the squash will be especially chatty that year," she answered with a pointed glare.

Sookie sighed, "Okay, fair enough."

Lorelai softened when she saw the genuine disappointment on her friend's face. "Hey, take your time. That's it. That's all I have to say," she said firmly.

"Thank you," Sookie replied with a relieved smile, glad to have a little something to go on.

****

As Luke started up the steps to the high school he shook his head, knowing that being clear headed was easier said than done, when you had been up for over twenty-four hours. He walked back into the gym and saw that there was only an hour left of this insanity. He glanced over at the table he had set up the day before and saw Lorelai standing there clutching her broken heel in her hand as she talked to Sookie. He watched them for a moment, a surprising surge of jealousy rushing through him as he looked at Lorelai's best friend.

_Jackson knew what he wanted, and he wasn't afraid to admit it. You kinda have to admire that, even if the idea of four kids in four years was completely irrational_, Luke admitted as he willed his feet to cross the wooden floor. _He had to tell her. He had to just make it clear that he knew what he wanted too. At least, he knew what he wanted if she was going to be an option, because as far as he was concerned, she was the only option._ "Worth a shot," Luke muttered under his breath as he approached the two women.

"Got it," he said as he held up the bottle of glue.

"Ah, good," Lorelai said, relieved.

Sookie touched Lorelai's arm and then raised her hand in a little wave. "Well, I'm going home to figure out what I want. Good luck. Call me tomorrow," she called over her shoulder as she left.

"I will," Lorelai promised.

Luke turned and watched Sookie walk away. "So, how's that situation going?"

"Oh, it'll be okay," Lorelai said with a tired smile as she hobbled over to the bleachers.

"Good." Luke cleared his throat nervously as he followed her. "Uh, listen, uh, I didn't really mean all that stuff I said earlier."

"What stuff?" Lorelai asked as they sat down and she handed him the heel that had come off of her shoe.

"Uh, the kid stuff, you know."

Lorelai shrugged slightly as she leaned down and began to remove the broken shoe. "Oh, it's no big deal."

"Yeah, I know, I just…" he trailed off. Luke focused his attention on coating the heel with a generous amount of glue. "I'm not really as anti-kid as I might have come off," he admitted gruffly.

Lorelai smirked. "Drop another sucker in…" she mocked mercilessly, ignoring the twinge that popped up again.

Luke glanced up at her sharply. "Okay, yes. I don't always have the patience for 'em. They tend to be a little squishy, and that freaks me out a little," he admitted impatiently.

Lorelai cocked her head as she studied him, wondering what had brought on this startling spate of openness in her usually taciturn friend. "You don't have to want kids, Luke. Or like kids. It's not for everybody," she said gently.

"I know, but…" He paused as he took a deep breath. "Although I'm quite happy going an entire day without having to deal with somebody else's bodily functions, if I ever happen to meet the right person, uh well, it would be a discussion."

"A discussion," she echoed. Lorelai eyed him carefully, wondering where he was going with this.

"Yes. Probably a short discussion, but still," he said firmly. Luke held the bottle of glue out to her. "Here, hold this." Lorelai watched as he took her shoe and pressed the heel back into place, holding it between his capable hands and applying pressure to secure the repair. She found herself staring down at his hands, marveling at how graceful his long fingers were as he cupped her shoe. "So what about you? You ever think about having another kid?" he asked, his voice low and quiet.

Lorelai's eyes opened wide, startled by the intimacy of his question. "Oh, I don't know how much fun it would be without biology finals and headgear…" she tried to joke. Luke chuckled softly as he glanced back down at the shoe he squeezed between his hands. "But sure, if I ever happen to meet the right person, another kid might be nice," she admitted, the words tumbling from her mouth without much thought.

Luke looked up, and their eyes met, holding one another's for a fraction too long. Finally, he forced himself to look down at the shoe in his hands and said, "Your shoe'll be ready in a minute."

"Thank you," she murmured shyly.

Luke's fingers played with the strap on her shoe nervously as he slowly processed what she had said just moments before. "So, you wanna have another kid?" he asked, unaware that the question had slipped past the filters and out of his mouth.

Lorelai tilted her head, frowning as she asked, "Are you asking or offering?"

"What?" Luke asked as he looked up.

Lorelai smirked as she leaned back on the bleacher behind her and asked teasingly, "Were you recapping our conversation, or were you offering to father my children?"

Luke's eyebrows shot up and color flooded his cheeks. "Sure. Do you want me to father your children?" he asked gruffly as his eyes fixed on her face.

"Well, a girl could do worse," she answered with a shrug. "Pretty good odds our kids would have dark hair and blue eyes. I wonder if they'd be lighter blue like mine, or darker like yours," Lorelai wondered aloud, a giddy giggle escaping her lips.

"You're picturing our kids?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, you offered," Lorelai said with a shrug. "I think we could make a decent looking baby."

Luke snorted as he checked to see if the glue had taken hold. "Ya think?" he grumbled.

Lorelai sat up; her eyes suddenly bright, her smile wide and wicked as she leaned in closer to him. She licked her lips and Luke stopped breathing entirely as she whispered in his ear. "Of course, you do realize that we would have to have sex in order to make that happen."

"Uh," Luke managed to grunt.

Lorelai nodded and said in a conspiratorial tone, "Yeah, it's true. That is how babies are made."

"I think I heard that somewhere," Luke said as he unconsciously tugged at the collar of his shirt.

Lorelai's smile blossomed enjoying his discomfiture a little too much. "Well, we could keep it strictly business, you know. There's no rule that we'd have to derive any, uh, pleasure from it," she said in a husky voice,

"There isn't?"

"Sex strictly for the purposes of procreation. That's how I like to picture my own conception," she added with a laugh.

Luke smiled as he glanced over at her and said, "Don't we all?"

Lorelai shrugged and said, "It sounds like a good plan, but it probably wouldn't work, though. I told myself that the next time I had a kid, I was doing it right."

"Right? Is there something wrong with Rory?" Luke scoffed.

"No, I mean, you know," Lorelai said, her own cheeks coloring under his indignant stare. "The traditional way, marriage then baby,"

Luke blinked and then said, "So, you weren't going to marry me first? You were just going to use me?" Luke shook his head. "I feel so dirty," he added with a smirk.

"Oh, I didn't get that part. Were you offering to marry me and father my children?" Lorelai teased.

"Well, I'm not as easy as you think, Lorelai," Luke said drolly as he held her shoe up by the strap. "You think I'm just a piece of meat, don't you?" he teased.

"Mmm, meat," Lorelai answered with a grin. "So, let me see if I have this right. You're offering to marry me, have sex with me, and father my children. Where did we land on the whole pleasure or no pleasure thing?" she asked, looking him boldly in the eye.

"Pleasure, definitely, pleasure," Luke answered in a low voice.

"Usually people date before they get married," Lorelai pointed out.

"You free on Monday?"

"Monday?" Lorelai asked.

"I figure we'll be sleeping the rest of today," Luke said with a shrug.

"Monday's good," Lorelai answered.

"Monday it is," Luke said as he held the shoe out to her.

Lorelai took it from him and stared at it for a moment, her brow wrinkling as she tried to sort it all out in her muddled brain. "Wait, were you teasing or serious just then?" she asked.

"About what?"

"About what? About Monday," Lorelai said impatiently.

"Oh. No, I was serious about that. Were you teasing?" Luke asked, turning to look at her.

"Um, no, okay. Monday's good."

Luke nodded and said, "Good." He stood up and looked down at her as she bent to put her shoe back on, her hair falling over her face like a curtain. He turned and stood in front of her, waiting patiently as she buckled the strap. When she looked up, he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and said, "It was a little longer discussion than I expected, but I was serious about the rest of it too," as he offered her his hand to help her up.

Lorelai's jaw dropped as she blandly placed her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet. "You were?"

"Dead serious," Luke answered as he stared down into her bright blue eyes.

Lorelai swayed into him slightly, the bodice of her dress brushing against his flannel clad chest as she looked up at him, speechless. "Okay," she whispered at last.

Luke nodded, inclining his head slightly, clearly wanting to kiss her, but just before his lips brushed hers, another couple stumbled from the floor and collapsed to the bleachers just beside them. They jumped, glancing at the bodies that lay sprawled with their backs against the bleachers, and their arms and legs akimbo. Lorelai's mind raced as she tried to take it all in. Luke had asked her out. Luke had asked her out, agreed to have sex with her, sex with lots and lots of pleasure thrown in for good measure. Luke had said he wanted to marry her and have kids with her. He said that this was the discussion. He had agreed to father her children without a moment of hesitation. He was just about to kiss her. Again. For the twenty millionth time, Luke Danes had been about to kiss her and didn't. Lorelai turned and scowled at the collapsed dancers at her feet, cursing them in her head.

Luke reached for her, encircling her wrist with his hand, and all thought ceased to exist. Lorelai looked down at his hand and then back up at him, confusion written all over her beautiful face. "Come with me," he said quietly and began to lead her around the side of the bleachers.

"Where are we going?" Lorelai asked as he ducked his head and stepped over the rail beneath the wooden stands.

"Just come here for a minute," Luke said as he pulled her behind him, leading her under the grandstand.

"Oh my God. Are you trying to get me under the bleachers, Butch? Is this where you took all of your girls?" Lorelai laughed as she stepped over the rail and ducked under the seats.

"You are the first girl I have ever been under the bleachers with," Luke said firmly as he moved to the center of the stands and back against the wall.

"But Butch, what if we're late for homeroom?" Lorelai asked breathlessly as he came to a stop.

"Stop that," Luke growled.

Lorelai looked up at him, her eyes wide and innocent. "Are you going to kiss me, Butch? Does this mean that we're going steady?"

Luke slipped his hand up under her hair, his fingers dangling in the loose curls at the nape of her neck. "Yes," he said as he stared into her eyes meaningfully.

Lorelai's laughter died on her lips. She reached up, balancing herself with two handfuls of purple and blue plaid flannel as she tipped her head back and looked up at him expectantly. "Are we gonna make a baby now?" she asked softly, stunned by the intensity in his dark eyes.

"I just want to kiss you," he said raggedly.

"Kiss me," she whispered as his lips descended on hers.

Soft and slow, thick and heavy, the fog descended, wrapping them up in a world of their own. His lips brushed hers gently, but Lorelai was having none of that. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. The force of her body against his pushed him back against the wall as she kissed him hard, her body arching into him. Luke's hand spread over her back, the tips of his fingers brushing the bare skin of her shoulder blades, as he groaned low and deep and parted her lips with his tongue.

Lorelai responded enthusiastically, her tongue seeking his, her body sliding against his in a slow sensual dance, moving to the rhythm set by feel of his tongue sliding over hers, falling under his spell. They parted, their chests heaving as they gasped for oxygen, their eyes locked on one another.

"Oh my God," Lorelai whispered.

"What?" he asked fearfully.

"Oh my God," Lorelai said again as she launched herself at him. Her hands framed his face as she kissed him again. Her breath came in soft pants as he yielded, taking her into him again, and their kisses grew fierce and frantic. Lorelai's hands slipped to his shoulders, and then to his chest, feeling the hard planes beneath her fingertips, her mind mentally cursing the same flannel it had praised just minutes before.

Luke tore his moth from hers, turning her around and pressing her up against the wall. He kissed her again, his hard body grinding into hers, desperate to get closer still. He kissed his way to her ear and whispered hoarsely, "Let me, Lorelai. Let me be the guy, the right guy for you."

"You are," she said breathlessly.

"I'll give you anything you want. All of it," he promised as he drew on the delicate skin beneath her ear. "You say four in four, I'm your guy," he growled against the sensitive flesh.

"You always have been," Lorelai panted as she ran her hands over his back. "I don't know what we were waiting for," she murmured.

Luke bent his knees raining kisses over her neck and shoulders. "That's what I want, Lorelai. I want you."

"Oh God, I want you too," Lorelai gasped as he pressed soft wet kisses to the sweetheart neckline of her dress.

Luke pressed his lips to the hint of soft flesh between her breasts and whispered, "I want you, I want you."

"Luke, please," she said urgently.

"I know, I know," he mumbled as he kissed his way back up over her chest, pausing to lick softly at the hollow of her throat before he straightened up.

"Don't stop," she panted.

Luke chuckled and said, "I am not telling our grandkids that the first time I made love to their grandmother was under the bleachers at my old high school."

"They don't need to know," Lorelai said as she snaked her arm down between them and stroked him lightly over his jeans. When he looked up at her, startled, Lorelai smiled and said, "No one ever needs to know. Just you and me."

"Lorelai, I," Luke started to protest, but she silenced him by pressing one finger to his lips as she continued to stroke him through the worn denim.

"We have to practice," she whispered. "Lots and lots of baby making practice."

"You can't be serious. Are you serious?" he asked breathlessly.

"Dead serious," she answered, her gaze never wavering from his.

"It's crazy."

"You're making me crazy. You offer impregnate me, marry me, have sex with me, both business and pleasure, and then you ask me out on a date," Lorelai whispered as she found the tab on his zipper. "Now, you could just be messing with me because I'm sleep deprived, or you could just be the biggest tease in the world, but I really hope that you're not," she said softly as she drew his zipper down. When Luke made no move to stop her, she smiled and reached for her skirt. He stared at her dumbfounded as she reached up and pushed at her hips. A moment later, she wriggled those hips and then looked down pointedly as her panties pooled at her ankles. "It's been a crazy night all around," she said as she arched one eyebrow at him.

Luke's jaw hung open as he searched her face, incredulous. He swallowed hard and glanced down as she stepped out of her panties. "I've been awake as long as you have," he said nonsensically.

Lorelai smiled as she unbuckled his belt and said, "Well, maybe I'm taking advantage of you, then."

"Lorelai, this isn't what I…" he stammered, closing his eyes as she slipped her fingers into the open fly of his jeans and caressed him through his boxers.

"This isn't what you want? I'd say that there is evidence to the contrary," she teased gently.

"This isn't what I want for you," he managed to say.

"Well, it's exactly what I want for both of us," she argued. "Come on, Butch, this is your chance to finally live up to that reputation of yours. Take the shot," she taunted.

Lorelai saw the fire light in his eyes as he looked down at her, his eyes lingering on her breasts before they fell to her hand buried in his jeans. "This is nuts," he said as he finished unbuckling his belt and opened the button on his jeans.

"This is hot," Lorelai said as she pressed her head back against the cinder block wall. "We have to hurry," she urged.

Luke reached for her skirt, his fingers grappling with the slippery material and the petticoats beneath as he tried to gather them higher. He finally gained the soft flesh of her thigh, and lifted her leg, holding it to his hip as his other hand slipped under her skirt and unerringly found the soft damp curls at the apex of her legs. Lorelai moaned and pressed into his hand instinctively, and he was lost, the fog clouding all common sense and reason from his mind, and her heat searing through him.

He slipped one finger into her folds and found her wet and wanting. "Oh God," he groaned hoarsely.

"Oh yes," Lorelai said as she pushed ineffectually at his jeans and boxers. "Dammit," she muttered as she tried to free him. "Oh!" she gasped as he pushed one finger into her, her eyes opening wide. "Now, now," she moaned as she redoubled her efforts, and succeeded in working them down over his straining erection. "Mm hmm," she hummed appreciatively, stroking the thick length of him as his finger slid into her once more. She looked at him, her eyes clouded with desire, her eyelids heavy as she blinked at him drowsily. "Now," she whispered.

Luke withdrew his finger slowly as Lorelai gathered her skirts to give him better access. Luke bent his knees, and still holding her leg at his hip, positioned himself at her entrance. He looked up at her through his lashes and asked, "You are gonna marry me someday, right? "Cause, you know, I'm not usually this kind of guy."

Lorelai laughed breathlessly and said, "I'll make an honest man of ya."

"Good," Luke said as he pressed into her. "Ohh," he groaned as she opened for him taking him deeper into her hot, wet walls. "Oh geez," he whispered. Luke reached for her other leg, and pressed her against the wall as he motioned for her to hop up.

Lorelai complied, wrapping both legs tightly around his hips as he cupped her bottom, squeezing it gently in his large hands. He began to move slowly, his hips circling in time with the waltz that played through the gymnasium. "Oh Luke," Lorelai murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her face to his shoulder.

Luke continued to thrust into her, pulling her down on him with deliberate determination, never wavering from the tempo. He closed his eyes, his nose buried in her soft, fragrant hair, her body wrapped around his in every way possible. The music smothered their soft gasps and low moans until the urgency became unbearable. Lorelai pushed back on his shoulders, lifting her head until she could capture his lips. He swallowed her moans as she tightened around him, she captured his soft grunts as he surged deep within her. As the song ended they slowed, and Luke would swear he saw stars dancing in front of his eyes.

Luke bent his knees again, gently lowering her to the ground as he slipped away from her. Lorelai curled her fingers into the soft flannel covering his shoulders as he pulled his pants up, but left them undone. With one hand wrapped firmly around her waist, Luke kissed her sweetly, over and over again. They parted, and he rested her forehead against hers, their breaths mingling as their hearts tried to recover.

"We're going to make beautiful babies," Lorelai whispered. "So beautiful."

"Yes."

"Um, not right now, I, uh, have that covered," she assured him.

Luke chuckled as he shrugged slightly and said, "Doesn't matter. You said you were going to marry me."

Lorelai smiled and said, "Yeah, but we should probably give dinner and a movie a chance first."

Luke smiled as he kissed her again and said, "More of a chance of things not working out with that, than with this."

"Probably," Lorelai agreed with a grin. "I think this is going to work out very nicely."

"Me too," he said, his voice drowned out by the sound of Taylor's air horn directly above them. "Dammit, Taylor," Luke grumbled as he pressed a hand to his ear.

And then Miss Patty's voice rang out as she called, "Okay, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner!"

Lorelai gasped as she pressed her hand to her cheek. "Oh no!" She shook her skirt down and pushed away from the wall in a daze. "No!"

Luke glanced down at his disheveled clothing and spotted Lorelai's panties on the floor. "Lorelai! Wait!" he called as she wound her way to the edge of the bleachers.

"For the fifth year in a row, ladies and gentlemen, the marathon winner is Donna Delain and Kirk!" Miss Patty announced.

"No!" Lorelai cried as she fished the yellow card from the bodice of her dress.

"Lorelai!" Luke hissed holding up her panties.

Lorelai glanced back at him and shook her head. "You keep them, I'll get them Monday," she said as she stepped over the rail.

"I win, I win! I win, I win, I win, I win!" Kirk crowed.

Luke shoved the scrap of fabric into his jeans pocket and began to tuck his t-shirt back into his pants as he saw her trot toward the dance floor calling, "You didn't win! Wait, what are you doing? I'm here, I'm standing, I used my yellow card! I'm still here! Patty, where's Rory?" she demanded.

Luke quickly buckled his belt and tugged his shirt down over his jeans as he heard Patty say, "Oh, she ran off the floor a little while ago, honey."

"What? No!" Lorelai gasped, horrified.

"Yes!" Kirk hissed as he thrust his fist into the air.

Luke stepped out from under the bleachers and turned toward the dance floor as he saw Lorelai rush toward her daughter and envelop her in her arms. He kept a watchful eye on the two women in his life as they swayed in the center of the floor, Rory crying softly as Lorelai rubbed her back gently.

Finally, he walked over to the coat rack and pulled Lorelai's coat from a hanger. He walked over to them and held the coat out in front of him with a worried scowl. "Here. Come on, I'll get the truck and drive you home," he said quietly.

Lorelai looked up, her eyes shimmering with sympathetic tears as they met his. "Thanks, Luke," she managed to murmured.

Luke simply nodded and said, "I'll be out front in a minute," as he turned to leave.

Two minutes later, he fired up the green truck and cranked the wheel, pulling a u-turn that would have made Taylor crazy had he been conscious. He pulled up in front of the school and hopped from the cab to open their door, prepared to do exactly what he always wanted to do, take care of them both.


	3. Snow and Walks and Magic

**A/N: Okay, I started this one with an idea, and it took a different direction. I am afraid that it veered more into the land of fluff than the land of smut. So, this chapter isn't really smuff, its fluft. I also took quite a few liberties with the episode in question. I hope that you'll forgive me.**

**Snow and Walks and Magic**

Lorelai approached Luke as he stood in front of the diner with a scowl on his face. She grinned as she said, "There goes the fire chief, the police chief and the one paramedic with a valid license. I feel safe, don't you?"

"Look at them, all relatively intelligent men, but there they are dressed up in costumes, standing out in a snowstorm, and for what?" Luke grumbled as he shook his head in disgust.

"Because it's tradition."

Luke turned to look at her. "Tradition is a trap. It allows people to stick their head in the sand. Everything in the past was so quaint, so charming. Times were simpler. Kids didn't have sex. Neighbors knew each other. It's a freaking fairy tale. Things sucked then, too. It just sucked without indoor plumbing," he said dryly.

Lorelai tried to squelch the smile his mini-rant enticed. "I think some traditions are nice. Birthdays. Holidays. Taking a walk in the first snow of the season."

Luke's brow furrowed as she tipped her head back, letting the snowflakes fall on her smiling face. He watched one land precisely on the tip of her nose, and fought back the urge to kiss it from her skin. "I didn't get the Hallmark card for that one," he mumbled.

Lorelai smiled brightly as she turned to him, her eyes dancing with pleasure. "When I was five, I had a really bad ear infection and I had been home in bed for a week and I was very sad. So I wished really hard that something wonderful would happen to me, and I woke up the next morning and it had snowed," she said in a voice filled with wonder. "And I was sure that some fairy godmother had done it just for me. It was my little present."

Luke swallowed hard, trying to calm his body's instantaneous reaction to the low, intimate timbre of her voice, the luminescent smile that was lit from within, the warmth of her body next to his as she leaned in closer to share her little secret. "Your parents never explained the concept of weather to you?" he asked when he finally found his voice.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I am making a point, Mouthy McGee. Of course, many years later, I realized that logically, the snow was not there for me personally. But, still, when it snows, something inside me says, 'hey, that's your present.' I don't think it'll ever change," she confessed.

Luke had to look away before he slipped and told her that he wished it could snow every day if it would make her this happy. He glanced over at the re-enactors as they assembled themselves into some kind of order, and shook his head. "My father used to be one of those guys," he told her, a wry smile twisting his lips.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, he even had his own musket."

"Really?"

"Never had to rent it."

Lorelai looked up at him, pleased by this little tidbit of Luke he was offering to her. "Where is the musket now?"

Luke looked down at her with a smirk and said, "He was buried with it."

"Wow," Lorelai managed, trying to bite back a bark of laughter.

"Yep. He loved that musket," Luke said in a fondly bewildered tone.

"That's nice, uh, in a disturbing sort of way," Lorelai added with a grin.

Luke smiled back at her, marveling at how different they could be, and yet, how similar at the same time. He jerked his head toward the diner and said, "Come on in, I'll get you some coffee."

Lorelai tipped her head back once again and smiled as the snowflakes tickled her face. "No, thanks." She lowered her chin and smiled as she looked at Luke. "I'm gonna walk around. Enjoy my present a little."

Luke nodded, his mind reeling as he tried to think of a way to get her to stay just a little bit longer. "You want a cup to-go?"

"Ooh. That's a good idea. No reason why snow walks and Luke's coffee need to be mutually exclusive," Lorelai said as she clapped her mittened hands together.

"That's what I always say," Luke said as he trudged up the steps.

"I feel good. Tingly," Lorelai said with a happy grin as she followed him into the warm diner.

"Are you sure that's not frostbite?" Luke asked, not bothering to remove his coat before he reached for the coffee pot and a to-go cup in one fluid motion.

"I love snow," she confessed with a smile as she leaned on the counter watching him pour.

"Really, I had no idea," he deadpanned.

"Everything's magical when it snows, everything looks pretty. The clothes are great. Coats, scarves, gloves, hats," she said in a dreamy voice.

Luke bit back the urge to tell her how pretty she looked in all of the above. Instead, he reached for a lid and said, "Thermal underwear, wool socks, ear flaps."

Enjoying the little game that they played, Lorelai grinned and asked, "Do you know that the best things in my life have happened when it snowed?"

"Oh yeah?"

Lorelai nodded. "My best birthday."

"Your birthday is in April," Luke pointed out.

"That's what made it the best," Lorelai retorted.

"Freakish weather?"

"Snow," Lorelai said firmly. "Good things happen when it snows, Luke. My first kiss," she said with a challenging lift of her eyebrow, daring him to comment. Luke didn't respond to that. Instead, he slid the coffee cup across the counter, avoiding her eyes. Lorelai softened and changed tack. "The night that Rory took her first steps, it snowed, just like tonight."

Luke nodded slowly as he looked up at her once more. "You like the snow," he said gruffly.

"I love the snow," she corrected. Lorelai leaned an elbow on the counter and said, "Hey, Luke? You wanna come on my snow walk with me?"

"Me? Uh, no, I can't," he said as he gestured to the deserted dining area.

Lorelai glanced back over her shoulder and then turned back to him with a smirk. "You're afraid of losing all of this business?" She reached into her pocket, pulled out a dollar bill, and placed it on the counter as she said, "There. I think that was your last sale. Come on, Luke, come walk with me. Rory's stuck in Hartford tonight, and we always take a walk in the first snow of the season," she told him, adding a slight pout, just to seal the deal.

Luke slid the dollar bill back to her and asked, "You want me to fill in for Rory?"

Lorelai smiled and said, "Sorry, Hon, but I don't think the boots would fit." She slid the bill back across the counter and said, "Come on, you're not doing anything other than watching those guys and working yourself up to a stroke." When he tried to push the dollar back toward her, Lorelai covered his hand with her mitten and said in a soft voice, "The snow is magic, Luke, a soft, fluffy blanket of magic that covers everything in a hush and makes everything more beautiful. Don't you want to see what kind of magic the snow has in store for us tonight?"

The words freezing precipitation froze on his tongue as she stared up at him, her eyes bright and shining, and the soft wool of her mitten tickling his skin. He curled his fingers, lifting the dollar bill from the countertop. He turned his hand and pressed it back into her palm as he said, "Let me lock up."

Lorelai grinned as she rewrapped the powder blue scarf around her neck, and then pulled her stocking cap down around her ears. "You won't regret it," she promised.

Luke pulled his key ring from his pocket and said, "If going for a walk in the snow turns out to be my biggest regret, I think I can live with that."

Lorelai grinned as she picked up the to-go cup and followed him to the door. He flipped the sign and opened the door. When the bells jingled merrily, Lorelai gasped and said, "Oh! An angel just got his wings!"

Luke rolled his eyes as he ushered her through the door and said, "Don't start that crap."

Lorelai laughed and practically bounced down the steps to the sidewalk. Once he had locked the door and pocketed his keys, Luke pulled a pair of fingerless gloves from the pockets of his down vest. "You know, the point of wearing gloves it to keep your fingers from being exposed," she said as she nodded to them.

"I can't stand wearing gloves. You can't do anything with them on," Luke said as he pulled them onto his hands.

"Like diffuse a bomb?"

"Exactly." Luke looked over at the re-enactors and then up and down the street. "Where to?" he asked gruffly.

Lorelai smiled and said, "I like to go down by the lake. It's so quiet."

Luke nodded and they began walking toward the park. "Never thought that you were the type to go looking for quiet."

"Oh, I like quiet," Lorelai said as she lifted her cup to her lips. She moaned appreciatively as the warm liquid goodness coursed down her throat. "I like noise too," she said with a shrug.

"Is there anything you don't like?" he asked with an amused smile.

"Oh, too many things to list, my friend," Lorelai chuckled. She gripped the cup in one hand and slipped the other through his arm. When Luke glanced down in surprise, she shrugged and said, "Don't want you to slip and fall. You are not an experienced snow walker like I am."

"I've walked in snow my whole life," he pointed out.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know that you ever came out of your cave, Yeti," she said as she started to remove her hand.

Luke pressed his arm to his side, trapping it there. "No, it's okay. It'll keep you warmer."

Lorelai smiled and said, "So chivalrous. I dub thee Sir Lukalot, Grand Patron of the Bean," she said as she toasted him with her cup.

They walked in silence for a minute until Luke pointed to an empty lot on the corner. "There used to be a house there, but they tore it down when I was a kid. When the snow plows would clear the streets, they'd pile a lot of it there. We used to build forts."

Lorelai grinned and said, "Man, I bet that was fun. Were there snowball fights?"

Luke glanced down at her and said, "That was the point of the fort."

"We're you a good snowball fighter or were you the kid who always caught them in the face?"

Luke chuckled and said, "I pitched for my little league team. I could hold my own."

"Ah, but could you duck?"

"You get a few line drives hit at your head, you learn to hit the deck pretty quick," Luke said dryly.

"I can see you," Lorelai said as her smile widened and she gave his arm a squeeze. She tried to ignore the surge of awareness that flared in her stomach when she felt the muscles in his arm tense beneath his sleeve, but found herself moving closer to him as they walked slowly toward the lake.

"Cold?" he asked.

"No," she murmured.

Luke's eyebrows lifted as she pulled his arm a little closer, pressing it against her as they walked. "So, uh, Rory's stuck in Hartford?"

"Yeah, she's staying with my parents tonight," Lorelai said, a note of worry creeping into her voice.

Luke looked down at her sharply. "You're not used to her being away from you," he said gruffly.

Lorelai's smile was wan when she said, "No, not really. And, there's just something about the thought of her staying in that house."

"It's just one night," Luke said reassuringly.

Lorelai nodded and looked up at him and asked, "But what if that's long enough for them to put the microchip in her?"

Luke chuckled and said, "We'll deprogram her."

They walked through the deserted park, the bridge looming ahead of them. Lorelai sighed softly and then said, "Enough of the serious stuff." She stopped abruptly, turned to Luke and said, "Here, hold this," as she shoved her coffee cup into his hand.

"What are you doing?"

Lorelai simply smiled as she slipped her arm from his and stepped back. She looked at the pristine snow on the ground behind her and said, "Nothing," as she dropped down, stretched out in the snow and began to move her arms and legs, making an angel as she beamed up at him.

"Are you twelve?" he asked with a snort.

"Yes," she said happily. Satisfied with her work, Lorelai sat up and held out her hands. "Help me up, I don't want to ruin it."

Luke shook his head as he offered his free hand. Lorelai grasped it with both of hers, and he pulled back, helping to haul her to her feet. "You're crazy."

"So it would seem," she said, unperturbed. She held onto his hand as she glanced down at her boots and said, "Help me out of here, I don't want to make footprints all around it."

"You need medication," Luke said as he set her coffee down, freed his hand as he stepped closer, and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"You're ruining it," Lorelai yelped as he lifted her up and out of the angel, placing her on the ground in front of him.

"Its fine, look," Luke said as he nodded to the snow angel as she gripped his arms to steady herself. The snow around it was untouched except for the scuffle of footprints six inches from its base.

"Oh, look!" Lorelai said with a delighted smile, squeezing his arms in gratitude. "It's perfect. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said as he reached up to gently brush the snow from her damp curls. Lorelai looked up at him, her breath catching in her throat and her eyes wide with surprise at the intimacy of the gesture. Luke caught himself and stopped abruptly. "Sorry. You had, uh, snow," he said as he stepped back, putting a safe twelve inches between them.

"Oh," Lorelai said, ducking her head shyly. "Yeah, the hazards of snow angel construction," she babbled with a nervous laugh as she brushed the snow from her sleeves, avoiding his eyes.

"Yeah," Luke said gruffly.

Lorelai swiped ineffectually at her back, and then turned as she said, "Can you, uh?"

"Oh, sure," Luke said as he began to brush the snow from the back of her coat. His hand swept lower as he cleaned her off, grazing her bottom.

"Um, I've got it from here," Lorelai said as she stepped away, dusting it off from her butt to the hem of her coat. She looked up at him at last and nodded to the bridge as she said, "Shall we?"

Luke nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets as they began to walk again, careful not to touch each other. The coffee cup sat on the ground, a forgotten marker at the foot of the angel. The snow crunched under their feet, the sound magnified in the silence of the park, and echoing off the tension that hummed between them. When they reached the bridge, Lorelai stopped and tipped her head back again. "Do you hear that?" she whispered.

"What?" Luke asked with a frown.

"You can hear it falling," she said softly, closing her eyes as she concentrated on the sound.

Luke couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her skin glowed in the dim light cast by backlit snow laden clouds and her lips were red and parted. If this were any other woman in the world, he would swear this was a blatant invitation to be kissed, but this wasn't just any woman. He stared at her, completely absorbed by the way she could live in a moment, soaking it up, drinking it in, savoring it in a way that no one he had ever known could.

"Luke?" she whispered without opening her eyes.

"Yeah?"

Lorelai opened her eyes and lowered her chin, looking him dead in the eyes as she asked, "Do you think I'm pretty?"

Luke blinked, completely taken aback. "What kind of question is that?" he asked, trying desperately to buy himself some time.

Lorelai frowned as she said, "Well, uh, okay, Rory and I used to work on this, let's see if I can remember. 'Do' I think is a transitive verb in this case, or maybe an auxiliary. 'You' would be the subject-noun, and 'think' would be the predicate verb," she rambled.

"I do. I think you're very pretty," Luke said, cutting her off.

"You do, huh?"

"Does that surprise you?" he asked defensively.

"No, I just…" the thought trailed off as she ducked her head and turned away. She stepped onto the bridge and began walking quickly. "Wow, looks like the lake is beginning to freeze," she said as she pointed to the banks.

Luke hurried after her, jogging a few steps to catch up. "Lorelai," he said as he reached for her arm.

When she turned to face him she simply shook her head and said, "I thought you would kiss me. Stupid, huh?"

"I wanted to," he said breathlessly.

"You did?"

"Oh yeah, I did. I just didn't want to get slapped for it," he admitted with a chuckle. He reached up, gently touching one of her damp curls. "I think you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen, and I wanted to kiss you so badly that it hurt."

"You should probably do it now," Lorelai said softly.

Luke's cold fingertips grazed her cheek as he searched her eyes. "Is it just the snow?" he asked in a raspy whisper. "I mean, I'll take it either way, but if it's just the snow, I'd rather know now."

"Not the snow," she murmured, turning her face into his touch.

Luke brushed his thumb over her soft lips, a weak smile curving his lips as she pressed a soft kiss to the calloused pad of it. "I love snow," Luke said in a deep husky voice as he tipped her face up and kissed her gently.

Lorelai wound her arms around him, pressing her mittened hands to the quilted down of his vest and melting against him like the snowflakes that seeped into their skin. When he pulled back, his lips clinging to hers for one last moment, Lorelai whispered, "Again. Kiss me again."

Luke complied, pressing his lips to hers again, tasting the sweet tang of her lip gloss, and groaning softly as her lips parted slightly beneath his. He captured her bottom lip and drew on it gently before kissing her harder, pulling her tight against him. Lorelai sighed happily as the tip of his tongue grazed her lips, and opened her mouth to welcome him. Luke's fingers stroked her cheek and jaw, holding her there, afraid she would slip away into the night. As his tongue danced sensuously with hers, Lorelai slid her hands to his waist, burrowing under the down vest. Luke caught her soft mew of frustration as her mittened hands met with more layers of clothing, and chuckled against her lips.

Lorelai laughed as she pulled back muttering, "Stupid coat, stupid scarves, stupid gloves and hats."

Luke smiled warmly as the wind stirred the dark curls that hung beneath her hat. "I like the hats on you." He brushed a wayward strand from her cheek and tucked it back with the rest of the damp curls. "I like the coats, the scarves and even those goofy mittens."

"I'll have you know that these goofy mittens keep my hands very warm," she said with a sly smile as she pulled one hand free from its cover and placed it against his cold cheek.

Luke pressed into it, his rough stubble tickling her palm as she heat from her hand seared his skin. "Very warm," he murmured low and soft. Lorelai used that hand to pull him down, and kissed him once again. This time, Luke pulled away before the kiss could become heated. He pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, "We should walk." He touched his lips to the very tip of her nose at the precise spot where that lucky snowflake had landed just a short time before. When Lorelai looked up at him with those clear blue eyes, he wished that he was that lucky snowflake, melting into her, becoming a part of her.

"Walk me home?" she asked softly.

Luke licked his lips and nodded mutely. He waited while she pulled her mitten back onto her hand, and then wrapped his fingers around it, holding it tightly in his palm as they turned back. Their joined hands swung slightly with each step. A snowflake perched precariously on Lorelai's lashes as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. As they approached the square, Luke asked, "Do you want more coffee?"

Lorelai simply shook her head and said, "Not right now."

Luke nodded, casting a nervous glance at the group of snow covered men huddled in the town square. He gave her hand a squeeze and then released it. "Give me a minute, okay?" he asked. When Lorelai nodded, Luke spun on his heel and trotted over to the men shivering in the cold. She saw him say something to Harry, and then a few words were exchanged. At last, Luke pulled his key ring from his pocket and handed it to Harry, pointing to the diner as he issued some instruction. A moment later, he was back at her side, gathering her hand in his once more.

"What was that about?" she asked as they began walking again.

Luke shrugged and said, "I told them that if they dared to break ranks they could send a scout into the diner for cocoa or coffee."

Lorelai's smile was warm as she said, "That was sweet."

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "I just didn't want to have to dig the bodies out in the morning."

"Thoughtful," she countered.

Luke cut his eyes toward her and said, "My dad and Harry were friends. I figure my dad would have wanted me to try to prevent hypothermia."

Lorelai stopped walking and waited patiently until Luke stopped and turned to look at her questioningly. "I know that you don't like anyone knowing this, but you really are a nice man, Luke."

Luke's eyebrows shot up, and then he smiled. "Maybe I was just doing it to impress a girl," he said, his voice a low rumble.

"It worked."

"See? Now that's a winning strategy. Beats standing out in the cold all night waiting for an army that never showed up for a battle that never happened," he said as he shrugged.

"Kiss me again," Lorelai ordered as she tugged at his vest.

"Definitely a winner," Luke said as he pulled her to him, pressed their joined hands to her back and kissed her soft and slow.

Lorelai slowly unfurled her fingers, letting go of his vest as she looked up at him through her lashes. "When did you get so, so," she stammered.

"So?"

"So, uh, sexy?" she said as the color flooded her cheeks.

Luke blinked at the descriptor she had chosen, and then laughed out loud, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. "Sexy? Wow, um, probably about ten minutes ago, I guess," he chuckled.

"I take it back now," Lorelai said quickly as she started to walk quickly, tugging on his hand and pulling him in her wake.

"You can't take it back," he argued. "Face it, Lorelai, you think I'm sexy. Hey, I'm like Rod Stewart," he teased as he released her hand and draped an arm over her shoulders.

Lorelai glared at him as she said, "Are your spandex pants at the cleaners?"

"Wore them last night. Sorry, I didn't know I was going to have to be sexy again tonight," he said dryly, failing miserably at suppressing his smile

Lorelai looked over at him and felt her heat skip a beat. When he turned too, the full wattage of that smile hit her right in the gut. "Good Lord," she murmured.

"What? You aren't really trying to picture that are you, because I'm pretty sure that you know that there are no spandex pants in my closet," Luke said sternly.

"We're never gonna make it home," Lorelai said as she bumped him with her hip and caught him off balance. Luke stumbled into Mrs. Clementon's boxwood hedge, and a clump of snow toppled from the eight foot shrubs onto his head. "Oh my God!" Lorelai gasped, covering her mouth with one mitten.

"Hey!" Luke growled.

"Oh my God, that was perfect!" she crowed as he wiped the snow from his face and hat.

"Perfect?" Luke asked in a low dangerous voice.

"Uh oh," Lorelai muttered as she began to back away.

"Perfect?" Luke asked again as he bent down and scooped up a handful of snow.

"Oh no, Luke, no," Lorelai said, backing her way along the sidewalk as she pointed to him. When he advanced on her menacingly, she shook her head and said, "If any of that snow ends up hitting me, or down my back, or otherwise assaulting me in any way, there will be no more kissing."

"None?" Luke asked as he continued to pursue her.

"None," Lorelai confirmed as her heel caught a bump in the sidewalk and she lost her balance. "Oh!"

Luke immediately opened his hand, dropping the snow as he reached out to catch her, but her momentum ended up carrying them both down. She landed with an unladylike 'oof!' just before Luke caught himself on his hands and knees. "Ah geez," he groaned. "Are you okay?" he asked as he pushed her hair back away from her face.

Lorelai blinked up at the swirling snowflakes that danced through the air and laughed delightedly as she said, "Roll over."

"What?"

"Roll over," she repeated.

Luke looked at her with a puzzled frown and asked, "Did you hit your head?"

Lorelai shook her head and said, "No, I'm fine. Well, except for my butt," she added with a smirk. "And my pride." She jerked her chin up at the sky and said, "Roll over. Look at how pretty it is."

A small smile curved his lips as he looked down at her. He shook his head and planted a hand on each side of her. "I like the view from here better."

Lorelai grinned and pushed at his shoulders, and with a groan of protest, Luke flipped over onto his back next to her. "Isn't it pretty?" she asked as the snow drifted down on them.

Luke blinked a snowflake from his eyelashes and turned to look at her as he said, "Beautiful."

Lorelai turned her head and smiled as she blinked him into focus. "Magic?"

"Magic," he confirmed with a nod. "And cold."

Lorelai giggled and sat up. "Okay, mister delicate man, let's go. No more shenanigans."

Luke rolled up to his feet and pulled her up out of the snow. They brushed the powder from their clothes, and then Luke draped his arm over her shoulders once more, pulling her close as they began to walk slowly toward her house. They were quiet as they meandered their way up her driveway, the warm glow of her porch light beckoning to them.

At the foot of the steps, Luke cleared his throat softly and asked, "Would you like to go out to dinner sometime?"

Lorelai smiled and said, "I'm a big fan of dinner most any time."

Luke heaved a long suffering sigh and said, "Yes, I know, but I was trying…"

"Yes," she answered with an impish smile. "Is tomorrow too soon?"

Luke's answering smile was bright as he said, "Not at all. We can, uh, Rory can come too," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai's smile warmed as she said, "That's sweet, but she doesn't require me to have a chaperone anymore. I'm a big girl now."

"I meant," he began, but was silenced when Lorelai pressed her mittened fingers to his lips.

"I know what you meant, and thank you, but I'm sure she'd be happier if I just left her some pizza money."

"Or I could bring her dinner. You know, when I come to pick you up," Luke offered with a sheepish smile.

"That would be nice too," Lorelai said with a nod.

"Okay," Luke said as he pressed his lips together and looked around uncomfortably. "Well, uh, you should get inside. It's cold."

Lorelai cocked her head and asked, "Aren't you coming in?"

"Do you want me to come in?"

"Yes," she answered simply.

"Then, yeah, I'm coming in," Luke said with a nod.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him and said, "You're a lot of work, you know?" as she turned and started up the steps.

"Me? I'm a lot of work?" he scoffed as he followed her. Lorelai grinned at his indignation as she opened the door and danced into the foyer. "You don't lock your door?" he asked incredulously.

"There's nothing here to steal," Lorelai said with a laugh as she pulled the hat from her head. She smoothed her hair with her hands and said, "My most prized possession is my Hello Kitty cookie jar, and Sookie is the only one who lusts after that."

"It's not safe, Lorelai. You're two women living alone," Luke said sternly.

"We're fine, Luke," she said as she shrugged out of her coat.

Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to tamp down the rant that bubbled up inside of him. "I never should have come here. If I didn't know, it wouldn't hurt me, right?" he muttered.

Lorelai laughed as she pulled her scarf from her neck and draped it over the coat rack. "Luke, Babette lives next door. She knows if a blade of grass is out of place. As a matter of fact, she's probably starting the phone tree right now. In three minutes half of Stars Hollow will know that I've lured you into my web."

Luke pursed his lips as he digested what she had just said and had to admit that she had a valid argument. "You need to lock your doors," he said as he pulled his gloves off and tucked them into the pockets of his vest.

Lorelai smiled and said, "Come on. Make yourself comfortable, and I'll let you make me coffee."

"Gee, can I?" he asked sarcastically as he shrugged out of his coat and draped it over a hook.

"You can," Lorelai agreed magnanimously as she gripped his arm and bent to unzip her boots. She stepped out of them with a quick, "Thanks," and then waited as he unlaced his snow covered boots and pulled his feet from them. She led the way into the kitchen and pulled the carafe from the coffee maker to fill it at the water cooler. "Coffee's in the thingy by the thingy," she said with a nod to the canister sitting next to the coffee maker.

Luke smirked as he pulled the canister toward him and pulled the filter basket out of the machine. He dumped the used filter into the trash, and reached into the cabinet above the coffee maker for a fresh filter. After spooning some grounds into the basket, he began opening cabinets, obviously looking for something.

"What do you need?" Lorelai asked as she placed the carafe filled with water on the counter next to the basket.

"Where do you keep your spices?" he asked.

"Spices? Why would I have spices?" Lorelai answered with a laugh.

Luke froze with the cabinet door halfway open and turned to look at her. He blinked and said, "You're right. I must have forgotten who I was dealing with."

Lorelai's smile turned wicked as she stepped over to him. She toyed with a button on his flannel and said, "You must have. Do I need to remind you?" she asked flirtatiously as she gazed up into his deep blue eyes.

"Please," he said with a nod.

Lorelai plucked the green ball cap from his head and tossed it toward the kitchen table before threading her fingers into the curls at the nape of his neck. "Hi, I'm Lorelai," she said in a soft, breathy voice as she pulled his head down to hers. She kissed him sweetly, but the way her body arched into his was anything but sweet. Luke felt his own body respond instantaneously as her breasts pressed into his chest, and her denim clad hips circling against his subtly. She pulled back a fraction of an inch and awaited his acknowledgement.

"Hi. I remember you now," he said in a deep raspy voice. He kissed the corner of her mouth softly and whispered, "How bad do you want that coffee?"

"Not that badly," Lorelai said breathlessly as her eyelashes fluttered in anticipation.

"Such a good answer," Luke said as he pressed his hand to her back, pulling her against him as he captured her lips with his. Lorelai yielded with a soft moan, and parted her lips. She clung to his sleeves, grasping the soft flannel tightly in her fists as his tongue twisted around hers, coaxing her deeper into the kiss, stoking the fire that burned low and deep within her. They came up for air with a gasp, and then Luke dove immediately back in, pressing his open mouth to the creamy skin of her neck.

"Oh my God, Luke," Lorelai breathed as she tipped her head back to allow him better access. "Kiss me, kiss me," she said in a throaty voice.

Luke lifted his head and brought his lips back to hers. His tongue teased and tasted her full lower lip, draw it into his mouth and sucking gently. Each kiss grew more heated as he pushed away from the counter and began walking her toward the living room. When they reached the doorway, he pressed her up against the arch, kissing her hard and hot as his hand slid up to cup her breast. Lorelai clung to the trim around the doorway for a moment, and then grasped his shoulders, arching into his hand as she turned him and pushed him into the loving room. They tongues dueled for supremacy as his hands rushed to claim as much of her as he could. Luke smoothed one hand over the snug denim that covered her ass and pulled her roughly against him, pressing the evidence of his arousal into her as he turned and pushed her gently back onto the couch.

Lorelai grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt and pulled him down with her, moaning loudly as she lay back and he covered her body with his. Luke kissed his way along her jaw and down her throat, murmuring nonsensically against her skin as Lorelai cupped his ass in both hands and pull him into her as she arched up off of the couch. "What?" she whispered.

Luke slipped one hand under the hem of her baby blue sweater and found the warm soft flesh he craved. "You're making me crazy," he growled into her ear.

Lorelai shivered and whispered, "Same here."

He kissed her hungrily as he shifted aside slightly, his hand circling slowly higher and higher, driving them both wild with each stroke. When he grazed the lace of her bra, Lorelai felt his breath hitch in his chest. She broke the kiss panting, "Touch me, please touch me."

"Oh Lorelai," Luke murmured as he pressed his open mouth to the spot where her pulse throbbed in her throat. His hand closed over the lace clad mound and he groaned against her as her taut nipple pressed into his palm.

"Oh yes, touch me," she said with a sigh of pleasure. Luke released her breast and his hand slid down to her side to burrow beneath heron a desperate quest for the clasp of her bra. "Front," she whispered.

Luke nodded slightly and his hand reversed direction as his tongue traced lazy circles on her neck. His breath was hot, but cooled her damp skin as it washed over her. She made a soft mewing sound in the back of her throat which turned to a low purr as he deftly released the catch on her bra, smoothing the fabric from her breast as he sought to take possession of her once more. As he captured her nipple, rolling it gently between his thumb and forefinger, Lorelai raked her hands up over his back. She pressed gently on his shoulders, urging him down, desperate to feel his mouth on her skin.

"Oh Geez," Luke groaned as he ducked his head and struggled to push himself up and away from her, straddling her legs on his knees. Lorelai looked up at him, her eyes wide with shock and disappointment as he pulled his hand from her sweater and stared down at her, his chest heaving with desire. "We're like teenagers making out on the couch," he said with a rueful laugh.

"So?"

"I just, I don't know," he said as he shook his head to clear it. "It just seems…" he trailed off with a helpless shrug.

Lorelai looked up at him and said, "You're right."

"I am?" he asked, unable to mask the disappointment in his voice. "I wish I was wrong."

Lorelai smiled as his voice broke a little on the words. "No, you're right. Why should we be necking on the couch when I have a perfectly nice bed upstairs?"

"Upstairs?"

"Yes," Lorelai said as she sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him lingeringly and then whispered, "Just give me about two minutes to pick some stuff up before you come up. I wasn't planning on having company," she added as she pecked another kiss to his lips. Lorelai wriggled back on the couch until she could slip her legs out from between his and smiled at Luke's stunned expression. She stood up, and then glanced down at him as she frowned. "At least, um, I mean, if you want to."

"If I want to?" he asked with an incredulous laugh.

Lorelai's smile widened as she bent down and kissed him again. "Two minutes," she said softly, and then she dashed for the steps.

Luke turned to watch her go, and then dropped down, resting his butt on the arm of the couch. "If I want to," he muttered under his breath as he blinked rapidly.

Lorelai dashed into her room and immediately started snatching discarded tops and the previous night's pajamas from the bedspread and floor. She kicked three pairs of rejected shoes under the bed, and plucked a bra from the bedpost. Lorelai cradled the dirty clothes in one hand as she turned on the beside lamp and turned out the overhead light, figuring that no matter what she did, the room would fare better if not viewed in sharp relief. She tugged the rumpled sheets and quilt up to the top of the mattress and hurried to the other side of the bed, scooping up a pair of jeans, some discarded panties, and a t-shirt as she went.

She straightened the covers on the other side and stared down at the quilt made from Rory's old dresses and tops. A slight frown furrowed her brow as a strange light filled the room, casting a glow over a patch made from the dress Rory wore for her kindergarten class picture. Lorelai stopped, her hand reaching out toward the square as if to touch it. She turned, clutching the dirty laundry to her chest as she looked out of the window and saw a bright full moon peeping through a crack in the clouds. She moved to the window, cradling the ball of clothing to her chest as she looked up at the moon in wonder. "Is this okay?" she asked softly.

"Lorelai?" Luke asked from the doorway. Lorelai stiffened, but did not turn around as her mind whirled, grasping for a good explanation. Luke began to step into the room, but hesitated when he saw the tension in her shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

Lorelai relaxed immediately when she heard the genuine concern in his voice. She swallowed hard, but did not turn around as she said softly, "I've never had a boy in my room. A man," she corrected with a laugh as she tightened her hold on her dirty laundry.

"Okay," Luke answered quietly.

"I was so excited about the snow and about, uh, you," she said with a chuckle. "That I didn't really think this thing out, and, uh, I usually think this kind of thing out, so I'm just thinking this thing out," she confessed as she finally turned to face him.

"Okay," Luke said with a nod of understanding.

"See, I have really strict rules about dating. I keep my personal life totally separate from my life with Rory. You know, I never want her to feel unsettled or like her life could just shift at any moment," she tried to explain.

Luke nodded and said, "And she comes first, and this is her house too."

"Exactly," she said, hugging the mound of laundry with a sigh of relief.

"May I come in?"

"Oh! Yeah, sorry, um, yeah," she said as she nodded wildly.

"Lorelai, I understand what you're saying," Luke began.

"I know you do," she answered honestly.

"And I get it, I do. This is your place and Rory's place, and you have to make it a place where you both feel comfortable," he said as he reached out and gently tried to pry the pile of clothing from her arms.

"That's dirty," she warned him.

"I don't care," he answered as he took it from her.

He moved to place the pile on a chair already overflowing with clothes, and Lorelai said, "Those are clean."

Luke rolled his eyes and turned to look at her as he opened his arms and let the clothing fall to the floor in a heap. "Lorelai, we don't have to do this. Not now, not here," he said simply.

Lorelai flashed him a rueful smile and said, "Oh, but I really want to do this."

Luke ducked his head as a pleased smile creased his face. "I do too, but maybe tonight isn't the night."

"It is! Tonight is the night, Luke. Look at the snow. Look at the moon!" she said as she gestured to the window. "There's no better night than tonight. Tonight is magic."

Luke reached out and tipped her chin up with his fingers. He smiled as she stared up at him beseechingly in the moonlight, and shook his head. "You don't have to convince me, Lorelai. I've wanted this since the first day a met you." When her eyes widened in surprise, he shrugged and said, "Well, more than this, all of it, you know, with you."

"You have?"

Luke nodded and said, "What I'm trying to tell you is that, um, I've waited this long. As far as I'm concerned, any time that I get to spend with you is magic," he said gruffly, color flooding his cheeks. "Geez, that was corny, wasn't it?" he asked with a wince.

Lorelai smiled as she nodded. "Very corny. And very sweet," she said as she stretched up and pressed her lips to his. "I just want to be with you tonight," she told him plainly.

Luke nodded, his thumb trailing along her jaw as he processed her words. "We could, uh, if you want, we could go to my place."

Lorelai searched his eyes for a moment and then shook her head slowly. "I think we should stay here."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Lorelai said, her voice growing stronger once the decision was made.

"We don't have to, um, nothing has to happen," he said gruffly.

Lorelai smiled as she reached up and combed her fingers through his hair. "Why don't we just plan on you staying here tonight, and we'll let the rest take care of itself."

"I don't have any stuff. You know, toothbrush, something to sleep in."

Lorelai smiled and let her fingertips trail along his cheek as she said, "I have a spare toothbrush or two. Rory likes to be prepared for Armageddon, and oral hygiene is a priority. As for the pajamas, I think we can make do without them."

"You want me to make that coffee?" he offered.

Lorelai shook her head slowly and said, "No." She pulled him down and kissed him softly. "I'll even let you have the bathroom first, but I get that side of the bed," she said with a nod.

"Deal," Luke answered succinctly.

"Come on, let's get you set up," she said as she took his hand and pulled him toward the bathroom.

Five minutes later, Lorelai slipped past him clutching her pajamas. She smiled shyly as she closed the bathroom door behind her. Luke walked into the bedroom and stared down at the quilt the covered her bed as he ran his hand nervously through his hair. When he heard the water running in the pipes, he reached for the top button on his flannel and began to undo them. He shrugged out of the shirt and looked down at his jeans, chewing his lip indecisively. He closed his eyes and reached for the buckle on his belt, hoping that he was making the right move. He stood in Lorelai Gilmore's girly bedroom in nothing but his t-shirt, boxer briefs and socks and wondered how he had managed to get there in the first place. He picked up his shirt and jeans, and folded them neatly into a square, placing them next to the nightstand on his assigned side of the bed. He heard the water shut off and glanced down at himself. With a decisive nod, he stripped off his socks, pulled back the covers and slipped into her bed, pulling the quilt up over his hips as he sat propped against the headboard.

When Lorelai stepped into the bedroom in a set of coffee cup pajamas, he smiled. "Only you would pick those out."

Lorelai sniffed as she padded across the room, trying to act nonchalant about the large strange creature in her bed. "I'll have you know that Rory has a set just like them."

"Of course she does," Luke smirked as she pulled back the covers on her side of the bed and slipped in next to him. Luke toyed with the edge of the quilt nervously, plucking at a soft satiny patch of material. "This is a nice quilt."

"Thanks, I made it," Lorelai said proudly.

"You did? Wow. I didn't know that people still made quilts. I mean, I guess I did, but I didn't know that I knew anyone who could," he rambled. "My grandmother used to make quilts," he went on in a rush.

Lorelai smiled, leaned over and kissed him softly. "I'm nervous too," she whispered against his lips.

"Good," Luke answered with a small smile. Lorelai nodded and scooted down in the bed, resting her cheek against his shoulder. "Hang on," he said as he lifted his arm and wrapped it around her, pulling her against his chest.

Lorelai smiled as she watched the white satin slip and slide through his fingers. "That was from one of Rory's Halloween costumes. She was half angel and half devil," she said as she glanced up at him.

"How old was she?"

"About three, so it was very appropriate," she said with a grin.

"I bet," he answered affectionately.

"There's a red patch down at the bottom from the devil side."

"Are these all from her clothes?" he asked.

"Yep. Mostly baby clothes, but a few others. Like the Halloween costume," she said as she nodded to the satin. "There's a piece down there from a dress she wore for her kindergarten school picture, and another from a shirt she wore on her first day of first grade."

"That's really nice, that you made this."

"I had all of her clothes. All of them," she emphasized with a chuckle. "Mia used to let me store them in the basement at the inn, and when we moved in here, they all came with us. I was sorting through the boxes and I realized that I needed to save a few things, and just get rid of the rest, you know?" Lorelai traced her finger over a patch of cotton sprigged with tiny violets. "We went through them together, kept the things that had some meaning to us, and then we were going to donate the rest." She smiled up at him as he absently toyed with a strand of her hair and said, "You know how I am about getting rid of stuff. Those boxes sat there for months, and I couldn't bring myself to do it. Finally, one night when I couldn't sleep, I started going through them again and pulling out the other things that I couldn't part with and cutting them up into squares. I actually made two quilts. I'm saving the other for Rory, you know, when she gets a place of her own, or gets married or something."

"You're a good mom," Luke said quietly.

"You think?" Lorelai asked, tipping her head back to look up at him.

"I know."

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind if maybe you just, uh, stayed here tonight? With me?" she asked softly.

"I wouldn't mind that at all," he said as he kissed her forehead. "Come on," he said as he lifted his arm and they scooted down into the bed.

Lorelai curled onto her side facing him and smiled as she whispered, "There's a boy in my bed."

"Man," he corrected.

"Same thing," she answered with a sassy grin.

"I could prove you wrong," he said as he arched one eyebrow challengingly.

"But you won't," she replied with a confident smile.

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "Don't push me," as he gathered her close.

Lorelai snuggled into his chest, rubbing her cheek against the soft cotton of his t-shirt. "This is nice. I like having a boy in my bed."

Luke chuckled and said, "Glad to be of some use to you."

"You're very useful," she said as she rubbed her foot against his leg, smiling as the hair tickled her arch. "And you smell good."

"I do?" Luke asked, surprised.

"Mm hmm," she hummed. "Coffee," she whispered as she pressed her lips to his neck. She shifted up onto her elbow, caught his earlobe between her teeth and then sucked on it gently. "French fries," she murmured as she rolled on top of him.

Luke's hands gripped her hips as he groaned low and deep. "Lorelai," he said in a low warning voice.

Lorelai licked and nipped her way along his scruffy jaw, enjoying the scrape of his whiskers against her soft skin. "Did you actually make a Monte Cristo today?" she asked as she bent her head and drew on his neck, sucking hard on his skin.

"Lorelai," Luke gasped as he tried to squirm away from her.

Lorelai smiled and pressed her lips to his gently. "Something sweet," she murmured as she bent for another taste. "Whipped cream? Cherry pie? No, strawberry," she whispered between kisses.

"You're not making it easy to just, uh, stay here," Luke said as he closed his eyes, lost in the feel of her body moving against his.

"Changed my mind," Lorelai said with a wicked smile.

"Thank God," Luke said as he plunged one hand into her hair and kissed her deeply.

Their tongues tangled as Lorelai's hands slipped under the hem of his shirt, trying to work it up over his stomach as their bodies pressed together. With a low growl, Luke pushed her back, rolling over on top of her. Lorelai took advantage of the separation by pulling his shirt up to his underarms. Luke sat back and lifted his arms, allowing her to strip if from him. She tossed it aside and ran her hands greedily over the hard planes of his chest, a feline smile curving her lips as the soft hair tickled her palms.

Luke reached for the top button on her pajama top and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," Lorelai said breathlessly.

"I don't think I could take it if you changed your mind again," he confessed quietly.

"I won't," she promised as she sat up and pulled her top up over her head.

Luke watched as it fell to the floor beside the bed and nodded silently, averting his eyes as he knelt between her legs. He reached for the hem of the quilt and carefully folded it back, rolling it over until it lay neatly at the foot of the bed. He turned back to her and asked, "Okay?"

Lorelai smiled at him tremulously, one arm covering her breasts self consciously. "Be careful, Luke. You're treading awfully close to making me fall for you."

Luke returned her smile with a great deal more confidence. "That was my plan all along." He reached for her arm and gently lifted it, raising it up over her head as he finally allowed himself to take her in. He leaned down and kissed her slow and soft. "So beautiful," he murmured and then kissed her again, this time pouring all of the heat that burned inside of him into his kiss.

Lorelai arched up off of the bed, clinging to his shoulders as she gave as good as she got. His hands were everywhere, stroking her, teasing her, caressing her, demanding more and more from her. His lips followed behind, blazing a trail of white hot desire that made her blood boil. She couldn't get enough of him; touching him, pressing into him, tasting him and devouring him.

Her bottoms soon joined the rest of the set on the floor, and his boxer briefs were lost in a tangle of sheets. Her skin slid against his, soft as silk and as sweet as honey. Her soft sighs punctuated the air and his breathing rough and ragged drove her wild. She reached for him, pulling him to her, her eyes locked on his as he settled himself at the brink of where he most wanted to be. He stared into her bright blue eyes, and when she nodded, he closed his eyes, praying for control as he sank into her. They moved slowly, savoring the sensation of their joined bodies, relishing each moment and sealing them with tiny kisses. The need grew stronger, the desire pulsing within them, the yearning for completion overpowering the need to make the moment last, and soon they lay replete, wrapped up in each other entirely.

Lorelai stroked the back of his hair as Luke breathed in the fruity scent of her shampoo. "Okay?" he asked quietly.

Lorelai smiled softly as she ran her hands over his smooth shoulders and down his spine, holding him to her. "Perfect."

Luke smirked as he lifted his head and kissed her tenderly. "Probably not perfect."

Lorelai's smile widened as she said, "You're right."

A laugh escaped him as he shook his head and said, "Thanks."

"It was magic," she said with a playful quirk of an eyebrow, challenging him to contradict her.

Luke smiled as he pressed his face into her neck again and said, "I love snow."

"I love snow too," Lorelai said with a satisfied smile. She stroked his hair gently and whispered in his ear, "I love snow too."


	4. Lorelai Can See, um, Everything

**A/N: There are much better ways of getting straw in your hair than sleeping with the zucchini. That's all I have to say about that.**

**Lorelai Can See, um, Everything**

Luke walked through the front door of the Dragonfly and looked around. "Hey," he said with a nod as he saw Lorelai approach.

"Hi. You came by," she said with a pleased smile.

"You told me I had to."

"I'm so glad you're here."

Luke looked around at the reception area. "Wow. The staircase is beautiful," he said as he gestured to it. "Hey, Tom," he said with a nod as the contractor wandered past, making a not on his clipboard.

"Luke," Tom acknowledged with a nod.

Lorelai watched with a smile as Luke ran an appreciative hand over the refinished banister. "Yeah, nice work here. But you used glue. I thought with a banister…"

Tom rolled his eyes and cut him off. "Oh, are you gonna kibitz?"

"What?"

"Guys who know a little about construction; they build a birdbath, install a towel bar, makes them think they know something, so they come in, they kibitz. Offer a lot of free advice on things they don't know anything about. I got a low tolerance for that right now," Tom warned.

"I'm not gonna kibitz," Luke said defensively.

"Okay," Tom said with a brusque nod. "And stop touching my banister," he added as he walked away.

"He won't let me touch the banister either," Lorelai confided as Luke gaped after the contractor. She smiled and asked, "Hey, you want to see the kitchen? The stove is a thing of beauty. We're thinking of just ordering out for everything so we never have to use it."

"Great idea," Luke said dryly. He started to follow her into the kitchen muttering, "And I wasn't gonna kibitz."

When they stepped into the kitchen they found Sookie laughing and talking with a strange man. "Exciting, isn't it?" she asked with a giddy laugh. Sookie's eyes widened when she saw them. "Ohh. Lorelai, great. I've been looking for you. Hi, Luke," she added as an afterthought.

Luke nodded and said, "Hey, Sookie. Nice kitchen. Did you use the original tiles?"

"I don't know, ask Tom," Sookie answered abruptly.

"Never mind," Luke mumbled as he wandered over to the stove to check it out.

"What's up?" Lorelai asked Sookie.

Sookie grinned smugly and said, "Lorelai, I would like to introduce you to Shel Sausman. Shel, this is Lorelai Gilmore."

Shel leaned over smiled eagerly. "It is really nice to meet you."

Lorelai blinked, a little taken aback by his enthusiasm. "Well, it's nice to meet you, too," she said with an awkward wave of her hand.

"Shel is going to be our poultry supplier," Sookie pronounced proudly.

Lorelai nodded. "Oh, that's great."

Sookie beamed. "He sells only free-range, hormone-free, and he's recently divorced," she added, giving Lorelai a nudge in the ribs.

Lorelai's jaw dropped, but she recovered quickly. "Oh, well, I assume that one doesn't have anything to do with the other," she said, hoping her smile was more of a smile than the grimace she felt in its place.

Shel chuckled. "You're funny. She's funny," he said to Sookie, nodding emphatically. He turned back to Lorelai and said, "You know, they say pretty women usually aren't funny because they never had to be. Were you a fat child?"

Lorelai tried to choke back a laugh as Sookie jumped in saying, "Um...I'm gonna go out and check with Michel on something, and you guys just talk till I get back."

Quick as a snake, Lorelai reached out and grasped Sookie's arm. "Hey, uh, what do you need to talk to Michel about?" she asked with a pointed stare.

"Tablecloth supplies," Sookie blurted.

"I can do that," Lorelai said quickly, her fingers digging into Sookie's arm.

"Michel likes me better," Sookie said as she wrested her arm from Lorelai's talon. "Talk! Just talk!" she called out with a laugh as she hurried from the room.

Lorelai turned back to Shel with a tight smile. "Listen, Lorelai…" he began, and she panicked.

Lorelai hurried over to the stove where Luke bent down to inspect something. "Shel, have you met Luke?" she asked brightly. "Hey, Luke, get up!" she said as she leaned down and tugged on his arm. Luke stood up, scowling at her. Lorelai held onto his arm tightly and said, "Uh, Shel, this is Luke."

"Nice to meet you," Shel said politely.

"Yeah, you too," Luke said as he glanced down at Lorelai's hand digging into his shirt and leaned back against the counter.

Lorelai flashed Shel and overly bright smile and stepped in front of Luke as she pulled his arm around her, pressing his hand to her stomach and covering it with both of hers. "Luke is my...special friend," she said as she looked up at the scruffy diner man and smiled, her eyes pleading with him to play along.

"Oh?" Shel asked, clearly disappointed.

Lorelai felt the tips of Luke's fingers graze the underside of her breast, and her heart leapt. "I have to tell you, renovating this place has been a real nightmare, I just don't know how I would have gotten through it without him," she said. The warmth of Luke's hand seeped through the thin cotton of her shirt as the truth of her words sank in. Lorelai leaned against Luke, and tipped her head back against his shoulder. She smiled up at him and asked, "Have I said thank you to you recently?"

"Uh...no," he said in a bewildered tone.

They rarely touched. At all, she realized with startling clarity. And even when they did, it was a hand on an arm, or a quick bump with the knuckles. _He'd hugged her before,_ she reminded herself, _but it had been a long time._ Lorelai's brow furrowed as she realized that she hadn't hugged one of her best friends in years. Of course, there had been the 'Meltdown in the Park' debacle, but that didn't count, she figured. She had just started sobbing all over him, what else was the guy gonna do, right?

Lorelai smiled sweetly and said, "Oh, well, thank you." Lorelai turned back to Shel, trying to focus, but the feel of Luke's solid bulk behind hers was disconcerting to say the least. _This must be why they didn't touch, it was safer that way._

Luke struggled to keep his body from responding to the feel of her nestled against him, but he feared that he was losing the battle. The scent of her perfume tickled his nostrils, her hair brushed against is shoulder, and he closed his eyes, praying that she couldn't feel what she did to him through the layers of their clothes. The moment her bottom pressed against him, it was exquisite torture, and he knew that there was nowhere on earth he would rather be than pressed against a kitchen counter, holding Lorelai, protecting Lorelai from the imminent threat of poultry suppliers named Sheldon. And though he wanted to keep her there, safe in his arms forever, Luke also knew that it was probably never going to happen for them.

His thoughts flashed to that park bench and Lorelai curled into him, sobbing hysterically as she saw her dream slipping away from her. It was too much for him to bear, knowing what it all meant to her, how hard she had worked. For the first time in his life, Luke Danes wanted to beat an old woman with her cane. He didn't, of course. Instead, he saw Lorelai safely home and then sat at the kitchen table in his apartment staring at his checkbook. He was no fool. He knew that what he was thinking about doing would probably be the death knell for his farce of a marriage. The fact that he was even considering writing such a large check was mind boggling. But here he stood in Dragonfly's newly remodeled kitchen; his hand pressed against her stomach, his fingers tantalizingly close to the soft curve of her breast, and he could swear her felt her heart beating faster. She was trusting him to help her, trusting him to catch her if she fell, and just like the night he had written her name after the 'Pay to the order of', Luke knew with absolute certainty that he would do the only thing he could do.

Lorelai rubbed his hand gently, signaling him that some response was expected. "You're welcome," he answered quietly, his breath stirring her hair.

Shel smiled nervously as he glanced at Luke. "Well, it was nice meeting you both. I'm just gonna go say goodbye to Sookie," he told them as he gestured toward the front.

Lorelai smiled as she nodded and said, "Oh. Bye, Shel."

"Bye, Shel," Luke called with a small smirk.

Lorelai glanced down at the large hand that she held to her stomach, shocked to find that it hadn't burned a hole right through her shirt. She quickly moved his arm away as she muttered, "Don't touch my stomach."

"You put my hand there," Luke replied defensively.

Lorelai whirled around and demanded, "She's trying to set me up with Shel, the poultry guy? Why would she do that? I just broke up with someone."

Luke pressed his lips together and nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly.

Lorelai shifted uncomfortably under his steady blue gaze. "We'd been dating for a few months now."

Luke nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "I figured there was someone in the picture."

Lorelai blinked in surprise and asked, "You did? How?"

Luke shrugged. "Just clues. You know, you never dressed weather-appropriate, that kind of thing," he said nonchalantly.

Lorelai rolled her eyes as she said, "Well I can bundle on up now."

"I'm sorry," Luke said, trying to inject a note of sincerity into his voice, but knowing that he was failing miserably.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "It's not a big deal. I mean, I liked Jason and we had a good time together, but it was never something for the long haul, at least, not for me. I'm pretty sure it wasn't for him either." Lorelai sighed and looked at Luke sadly. "Cats came to my house today."

Luke's eyebrows shot up as he asked, "Really?"

Lorelai nodded and sullenly said, "Because they know I'm a loser and I'm destined to be alone."

Luke smirked and said, "You're not destined to be alone. You have Shel."

Lorelai looked up at him plaintively. "Why is it so hard?"

"What, relationships? Look who you're asking," Luke said with a bitter laugh.

"At least you got married," she pouted.

"At least you had a kid," he shot back.

"It makes me sad sometimes. Does it make you sad?"

Luke dropped his eyes as he shrugged again. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Mm-hmm," Lorelai hummed knowingly. "I see Dr. Phil books in our future," she warned as she gestured between them.

"Unless they stock them at Home Depot, they're not likely to cross my path," Luke answered dryly.

Lorelai sighed and pushed her hair back from her face. "All this sad talk is putting a serious damper on my stressing."

Luke smiled affectionately and said, "The place is great."

"Do you think I can do this?" she asked worriedly.

Luke sighed impatiently. "I already told you, you can do this, and I already told you that I already told you, you can do this."

Lorelai glowered at him and said, "You're making me long for Shel."

Luke pushed away from the counter with his hips and said, "You'd never want for chicken."

"Hmm," Lorelai agreed. She turned and smiled at him. "Okay. The official tour," she said with a nod. She reached out and grabbed his sleeve, dragging him behind her.

"Where are we going?"

"Next stop, the dining room," she called out.

"Oh goody," Luke said as he let her pull him along.

She stopped in the empty dining room and pronounced grandly, "This is where all of the eating will take place."

"Fascinating," he drawled.

"Breakfast, lunch and dinner, my friend. You'd better watch out, we may put you out of business," she teased.

Luke smiled as he looked over at her and said, "Either way, I'm covered. Good investment."

"An excellent investment," Lorelai agreed with a nod. "Okay, you're right that was fascinating," she said with a grin. "This way, please," she said as she jerked her head toward the parlor. "This is the parlor, a nice quiet place to relax and curl up with your favorite book," she said in her best tour guide voice.

"Why would anyone do that when they can read in bed?" Luke muttered as he looked around, trailing an admiring hand along the built-in bookshelves.

"Not everyone is a hermit, Luke," Lorelai said with a fond smile. She narrowed her eyes slightly and asked, "Do you read in bed?"

"What's it to you?" he replied.

"Nothing. I just can't picture it," Lorelai said with a shrug.

Luke turned to look at her as he asked, "You spend a lot of time picturing me in bed?"

"I meant I couldn't picture you reading at all," Lorelai said quickly. "But yes, I spend hours thinking about you in bed," she added as she blew a saucy kiss in his direction. Luke rolled his eyes and wandered around the room, tugging on windows and smoothing his hand along the trim. "You should check out the fireplace," she suggested, hoping that he'd stop moving around the empty room, trailing his long fingers over everything, it was distracting. She watched as Luke squatted down and peered up into the chimney, nervously looking around as the denim stretched taut over his butt. _Ooh, bad call,_ she told herself as she turned toward the reception area and gave Tom a nervous little wave.

With a soft sigh, Lorelai could admit the truth, if only to herself. She could and did picture him in bed. She could picture him reading in bed. She had seen him reading in bed. Well, on the bed, but still. But Lorelai would never in a million years admit that when she picked out the décor for the rooms upstairs, one of the things she kept seeing in her mind's eye was Luke stretched out on the bed in his socks, propped up against the headboard reading the newspaper. The only thing she changed was Nicole. In Lorelai's mind, it was never Nicole who stepped from the bathroom in that robe. To be perfectly honest, Lorelai had pictured her good friend Luke doing many, many things in bed, and most of them were far from literary, and none of them included his ex-wife. For what it was worth, Lorelai thought she'd have looked much better in that robe anyway.

"They did a good job with this," Luke said as he stood up again, startling her from her thoughts. He ran his hand over the mantelpiece and said, "A really good job."

"Shh, don't let Tom hear you say that. I'm holding out for the water pressure and the bedroom doors still haven't arrived," she said in a hushed undertone.

"Ah, gotcha," Luke said as he placed his hands on his hips and nodded. "Okay, well," he began.

"We are so not even close to done," Lorelai said, firmly cutting him off. "This way please," she said as she grasped his arm and pulled him toward reception.

"You're awfully handsy today," Luke commented mildly.

"Well, you aren't cooperating," she retorted.

"I was just about to say that I'd like to see the upstairs," Luke told her as she propelled him toward the steps.

"Well, your wish is my command," Lorelai answered smartly.

"Remember that the next time I try to feed you oatmeal," Luke grumbled.

"After you," she said as she gestured to the stairs.

Lorelai smiled, glancing over her shoulder to be sure that no one was around, and then focusing her attention on the view as he walked up the stairs in front of her. Lorelai smirked, and didn't even bother to chastise herself. _If there was one thing that a woman should be able to ogle freely, it should be a fine ass encased in worn denim. And ogle she would. She just had to remember to resist the urge to reach out and grab a handful. Or two,_ she reminded herself.

Vaguely she became aware that Luke was asking her something. "Mmm?" she hummed, her eyes still focused on his delightful derriere.

"Are you still planning on doing the test run?" he asked again.

"Oh, yeah, definitely," Lorelai answered, forcing her eyes up to the back of his head as he reached the landing and turned to wait for her. "You're expected to be there," she said sternly as she jabbed a finger into his abs, her eyebrows lifting as it poked into the solid wall of muscle.

"I wouldn't miss it," Luke said sincerely.

Lorelai's face brightened with a blinding smile. "Okay." She glanced down and had to concentrate in retracting her finger as she tried to get the train back on the rails. "So, uh, the rooms are pretty much done, we just have to decorate and, well, put some doors up," she said with a chuckle. "We've made on up as sort of a model so that we could see what it would look like. Inspiration, I guess," she said as she led him to what would be room number four and motioned for him to step inside.

Luke smiled as he stepped into the room, taking in the cozy, but not overly frilly room. "This is nice," he said with an approving nod. He circled the room, his fingers tracing the wallpaper, checking the seams. He leaned down to test the sturdiness of a nightstand and nodded in satisfaction when it failed to wobble. There was a pile of throw pillows stacked on the overstuffed chair and matching ottoman, and he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I'm not done with the pillows yet," she confessed. "I've been sneaking up here to work on them whenever I get a chance," she said as she gestured to a portable sewing machine case on the floor next to the chair.

"You're doing all of these yourself?" Luke asked with a frown.

Lorelai nodded and said, "I got a really great deal on the fabric. Normally this stuff is crazy expensive, but I bought a bolt with some water damage and worked around it."

Luke thumbed through a stack of already sewn pillow covers and eyed the stack of forms that overflowed the chair and ottoman. "No wonder you're exhausted," he muttered.

"Well, it seemed like a good place for us to save money. Your money, actually," she said with a laugh. "Um, decorator stuff like that is pretty pricey, and I figured that I might as well do what I could do myself."

Luke looked at her sharply and asked, "Do you need more?"

Lorelai reared back slightly and asked, "Pillows? Why, do you sew?"

"No, money," Luke said impatiently.

"Oh, no, no," Lorelai said as she shook her head emphatically. "We're fine, uh, thanks to you. I just figured with it being a new start up and all, it's best to save where you can, right?"

"Not if it means burning the candle at both ends," Luke answered, placing his hands on his hips and attempting to stare her down.

Lorelai bristled for a split second, but then relaxed when she saw the genuine concern in his eyes. "I'm fine, Luke."

"You only did one eye," he reminded her.

Lorelai smiled and said, "I did them both, but thanks for proving that you know absolutely nothing about make-up."

"Anytime," he grumbled as he looked around the room, taking in the little details they had added here and there.

"The bathroom is done too. This one has great water pressure," she said with a grin. "Go ahead, test it, you know you're dying to," she teased as she nodded to the bathroom.

Lorelai hovered in the doorway as Luke inspected the bathroom fixtures, giving the towel rack a good tug to test its mount. He smirked as he leaned her and turned the water on in the tub. Lorelai leaned against the door frame and her lips parted when she saw him unbutton his cuff and roll his sleeve back. He tugged on the lever to turn the shower on and held his hand under the strong spray. Suddenly, the flannel was gone, along with the t-shirt that he wore beneath it, his jeans, and every other scrap of clothing he could have possibly had hidden under all of those layers. Her eyes narrowed as he turned to look at her with a bemused half smile.

"How's the water?" she asked, her voice soft and husky.

"Water's fine," Luke said as he pressed the lever down. The sound of the faucet shutting down jolted her from her trance. Luke shook his hand over the tub and was about to dry it on his shirt when Lorelai appeared at his side hold a hand towel. "Thanks," he said as he took it from her, a little taken aback by how close she was standing.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, her voice quiet and a little breathy.

Luke looked into her bright blue eyes, wishing that for just a moment, he could chase the fear and worry away. "Lorelai it's great. The whole place is great," he assured her.

"You really like it?"

"What's not to like?" he asked with a shrug. "You took this run down old inn and breathed new life into it." When she continued to stare at him, clearly needing something more from him, Luke shook his head, completely at a loss. "Here," he said as he tossed the towel onto the sink. "Close your eyes," he said with a nod.

Lorelai stared at him in shock, her eyes darting to his, plumbing their depths, trying to figure out if this was it, if this was the moment when he would finally kiss her. Finally, after all these years. She closed her eyes, her face tipped up to his, releasing the breath she hadn't realized she was holding when she felt his hand close around hers. And then, he was moving, pulling her toward the door. "What? Where are we going?" she asked, trying to tamp down the frustration that bubbled up inside of her.

"Just keep your eyes closed," Luke said as he pulled her into the bedroom and over to the chair. He let go of her hand and grasped her shoulders, turning her away from him and the sight of the mound of pillows yet to be finished. His hands rested lightly on her shoulders as he said, "Open your eyes. You did this."

Lorelai opened her eyes and tried to see the room as he did. Luke didn't realize that the wallpaper didn't match up exactly in the far corner. Luke didn't know that the screen around the fireplace was not antique, but straight out of the Pottery Barn catalog. Luke didn't know that the framed print above the fireplace wasn't a flea market find, but one she had spotted at a craft store, its frame artistically aged with paint that she found in the next aisle. And so, she finally saw it, the room that she had created in the inn that she and Sookie had dreamed of for so long.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she was glad that Luke stood behind her. She blinked rapidly, batting them back as she reached up and touched his hand. "Hey, did I ever really thank you?" she asked softly.

"You did."

"No, Luke, I don't mean for the money. I mean, I thank you for the money, I don't know what I would have done without your help," she said with a hollow laugh.

"You would have found a way," he said confidently.

"See, that's what I mean," she said as she shook her head slowly, but did not turn to face him. "You always believe in me, even when I don't."

"Well, sometimes it's just hard to see it yourself," Luke said with a shrug.

Lorelai caught her upper lip between her teeth as she nodded, her hand slipping away from his. Luke lowered his hands as she turned to face him. "Thank you, Luke," she said quietly.

"Anytime," he said with a small smile.

On impulse, Lorelai stretched to her toes and kissed his cheek softly. She smiled at him shyly and said, "Come on, I'll show you the stuff outside."

Luke nodded mutely and followed her from the room, his fingers grazing the spot where her lips had lingered moments before. Luke watched her curls bounce as they trailed her back, and kept one hand firmly on the smooth banister and the other buried deep in his pocket to keep from reaching out to touch them. The moment they stepped outside the cool spring breeze lifted her hair from her shoulders, making it dance around her face as she gestured to the porch.

"Doesn't it look great? You'd never know that it was brand new. The guys did a great job of staining it and stuff so it looked a little weathered," she rambled.

"The whole place looks great. It's really coming together," Luke said as he followed her around the side of the building.

"Not as many cobwebs," she teased.

"Hey, you don't like them either," Luke pointed out.

"God, no," Lorelai said with a shudder. "I hate that feeling, like their stuck to you all day." She pointed to the stables and said, "I'll introduce you to Cletus and Desdemona."

"Oh boy," Luke said with a snort.

"They snort too. You guys speak the same language," she said with a laugh.

"I thought you spoke horse, Dr. Doolittle," he reminded her.

"That's right! I do!"

"Cletus? Are you in the house?" she called as she walked into the stables. "Cletus likes to bust out and wander off," she said over her shoulder.

"Bust out?"

"Well, not really bust out. If the padlock isn't locked, he'll nose it off of the gate and go roaming," Lorelai said as she bent down and picked a couple of carrots from a basket just inside the door. "Hello, pretty lady," she cooed as Desdemona poked her head out of her stall. "Hi, look what I have," she whispered as she offered the horse the carrot. Lorelai smiled at Luke, her face lit with childlike glee as the giant creature chomped the carrot she held.

"How many times a day do you do this?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"Too many. These are going to be two of the fattest horses known to man," Lorelai admitted without shame.

Luke stood back away from the stall and said, "Looks nice."

"Oh, they're very gentle," Lorelai assured him as she gave Desdemona's nose a pat.

"Ah geez!" Luke cried as he jumped toward her.

Lorelai laughed as she saw the big snout that had given him a nudge retreat back into the stall. "That's Cletus."

"I figured," Luke said as he glared at the stall, pressing his hand to his heart.

"Are you scared of horses?" she asked.

Luke shook his head and said, "Just didn't know that he was in there."

"We should let them out for a little exercise. You wanna go out?" she asked Desdemona as she reached for the padlock on the stall. She looked over at Luke and said, "Keys are by the door, can you grab them? Oh, and make sure that door is closed, we don't want Cletus wandering off."

Luke pulled the stable door closed and then handed her the key ring he had taken from the hook. He stood back as she unlocked the stall and lead the horse out. "Come on, there's a bunch of construction guys around, maybe you'll get a whistle or two," she said as she led the horse into the fenced corral at the other end of the barn. She came back a moment later to find that Luke had unlocked Cletus' stall, and was currently engaged in a tense stare down with the horse. Lorelai smiled and said, "He's amenable to bribery," as she offered Luke a carrot.

"Nah, you go ahead," Luke said as he stepped back with a shake of his head.

Lorelai stepped into the stall holding out the carrot as she said, "You gave up too easily. You win, Cletus, I'm all yours."

"Well, hey, I didn't know there were prizes," Luke said pointedly.

Lorelai smiled over her shoulder and said, "There are always prizes, Luke." She led Cletus from the stall and Luke followed her out to the corral.

"Are you getting more horses?" he asked.

"No, just these guys, I think. Hopefully they'll earn their keep," she said as Cletus took the rest of his carrot and ambled off to stare over the split rail fence.

Luke leaned on the rail and said, "You have two more stalls that are all cleaned up and filled with hay."

"Yeah, well, that was an experiment. I thought that if there were other places to roam to, Cletus might keep his meandering to the stable area," she explained.

"How's that working out?"

"I think you're the only one who noticed," she answered with a smile. She turned back to watch the horses and said, "Aren't they pretty? I've always loved horses."

"Did you have one?"

Lorelai shook her head and said, "No. I had friends that did, and I took riding lessons, but my parents didn't want to be bothered with the expense and upkeep."

"Well, you have them now," Luke said with a nod.

"I do."

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Luke shifted a bit, and Lorelai knew that he was about to leave. Without turning to look at him, she tried to work up the courage to ask the question that had been plaguing her for months.

"Well, I should get back," Luke said reluctantly.

"Why Nicole?" Lorelai asked at the same time.

"What?" Luke asked, stunned by her abrupt question.

"Why Nicole?" Lorelai asked again, turning to look at him.

Luke studied her face, trying to figure out what the joke was, or what he was being mocked for exactly, but finding only genuine puzzlement. "What do you mean why Nicole?" he asked at last.

"I mean, why did you choose Nicole?"

Luke reached up under the bill of his hat and scratched his neck. "I'm not sure I did," he admitted gruffly.

"You asked her out. You dated her. You married her. Why? Why Nicole?" Lorelai persisted.

"Why not?" Luke asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Aw, come on, Luke, she wasn't the kind of girl for you, everyone could see that," Lorelai said impatiently.

"Not the kind of girl for me? What the hell does that mean?" he snarled.

"She was so uptight," Lorelai argued.

"And you tell me that I'm uptight almost every day," he pointed out.

"Not that kind of uptight," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Seriously, a lawyer? You hate lawyers."

"I wasn't dating her profession."

"But you sure as hell married it, didn't you? There were lawyers crawling all over the place," she said venomously. "What was it, then? Her sparkling personality? Her friendly smile? Did she cook you home cooked meals? Was it her hot bod? Was she a tiger in the sack?" Lorelai demanded as she advanced on him. "Why? Why would you have dinner with that woman, much less marry her?"

"I'm not gonna discuss this with you," Luke spat as he turned on his heel and headed back into the stables.

"Come on, Luke. I thought we were friends," she called as she hurried after him.

Luke whirled on her and scoffed, "Friends? Listen, _friend_, that whole thing may not have been the smartest thing I've ever done, but you don't get to judge me! I made a mistake! I huge whopping mistake! Am I proud of it? Hell no! But I don't need you to tell me what a loser I am, I already know that!" he shouted as he turned to leave.

"But you're not a loser! You're not!" Lorelai cried as she jogged over and grabbed his arm to stop him. "I just don't understand, Luke. Maybe I could get the dating thing," she conceded. "She's attractive, successful, and okay, I'll give you that. But you said 'I do'," she said plaintively. "You looked at her and you said 'I do'."

"Yes, I know, I was there," Luke said snidely.

"And then you said 'I don't'," she said as she shook her head. "And then it was 'I do' again, and 'I don't' again. It was like watching Wimbledon, I couldn't keep up!"

"No one asked you to!"

"I just want to know why," she insisted.

"What does it matter? It's over, done, finito! The papers were signed and notarized, you should know, you were there talking about your god damned 'I Love Lucy' stamps! They've been signed by a judge, filed with a clerk and published in the paper. Its official, Lorelai, I'm divorced," he said as he flung his arms out wide. "You don't need to know why," he said angrily.

"But we're friends!"

"No we're not!" he spat. Lorelai took an involuntary step back as he shook his head vehemently. "We're not friends, Lorelai, we never were. You're the one who said a friend would know things. How come you never told me about your boyfriends, huh? The fishing guy, and the jerk with the Mercedes?" he demanded.

"I didn't think you'd be interested," she said in a hurt tone.

"Or maybe you knew I'd be too interested, right?" When her brow furrowed in confusion and she looked away, Luke reached out and grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn back to him. "Maybe you knew that I didn't want to hear it for some other reason. You want to know why Nicole?" he asked raggedly. "Why do you think, Lorelai?" he said slowly, his eyes boring into hers.

When she didn't answer, Luke sighed and dropped his hand. He shook his head sadly and said, "We're not friends, Lorelai. I'm the guy who fixes things and pours your coffee. That's all you'll ever see me as," he said quietly. With that, he turned to leave.

When he reached the stable doors, he heard her call after him in a shaky voice, "You are so wrong."

Luke stopped, but did not turn around. "What am I wrong about now, Lorelai?" he asked in a defeated tone.

"I see you as so much more than that," she croaked. Lorelai cleared her throat and said, "I used to think, maybe, you know, but then you married her."

Luke turned to look at her, his eyes wide with disbelief. He stared at her from the opposite end of the stable and asked, "How long was I supposed to wait?"

"I don't know," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "Until I was ready. Until I was sure."

"Sure of me?"

Lorelai shook her head and said, "No, sure of me."

"What are you trying to tell me?" he asked, bewildered.

"Just don't, uh, don't marry anyone else," she said as she held up her hands helplessly.

Luke cocked his head and took a cautious step toward her. "Anyone else? Who would I marry?"

"I hear Miss Patty's on the hunt again," she tried to joke, flashing him a nervous smile as she wrung her hands.

"I've managed to escape that trap for the last twenty years, I'm thinking there's not much chance of falling for her now," he said as he continued to close the distance between them. "Lorelai, I need you to be really clear with me," he said firmly.

"Well, uh, I was thinking, um," she stammered as he slowed to a stop in front of her. "Well, you're single and, um, I'm single," she said slowly. She stared at his plaid shirt as if trying to memorize the pattern. "And we're friends, at least I thought we were friends, but apparently, we're not," she rambled.

Luke squinted at her as he tried to make sense of her words. "That isn't clear. What? You want to date? Hang out? Sleep together? Have me fix your garbage disposal? What's your point?" he asked, enunciating each word carefully.

"Yes," Lorelai said as she nodded slowly, lifting her eyes to his.

"Yes, to what?"

"All of the above," she whispered.

Luke eyes her skeptically, wetting his dry lips with the tip of his tongue. "You're not just screwing with me, are you?"

"Not yet," Lorelai replied solemnly.

"You want to be with me. With me, with me," he stated flatly.

"Yes, that was the point I was trying to make. I was just afraid that you might run off and get hitched again before I could tell you that," she said, fidgeting nervously.

"Don't plan to make a habit of it," Luke said slowly.

"But maybe someday, you know, after the memory of building shelves and hanging pictures with some other girl fades, you might think about it, maybe…" she said leadingly.

"It's possible, yeah."

"So, if I, uh, happened to be the girl that you were dating when that crazy urge grabs you again, that might make me a likely candidate, right?"

"Yeah," he croaked. Luke swallowed hard as he dropped his eyes to the ground, trying to wrap his head around what was happening.

Lorelai reached up and pressed her fingertips to his stubbly cheek, urging him to look up again. "You weren't supposed to marry anyone else," she chastised him gently.

"Sorry," he breathed.

"Don't do it again," Lorelai said as she slipped her hand down to his neck and pulled him down to her. She kissed his softly and then pulled away. Lorelai reached up, touching her fingertips to the deep crevice between his brows, and literally smoothed his hurt and confusion away.

"This is happening," he said quietly.

"Yes," she answered. "It's finally happening."

Luke's breath tickled her lips as he placed his hand on her neck, his thumb stroking her jaw as he asked, "Are you sure?"

Lorelai nodded and whispered, "Yes, I know, I'm here," as he brushed his lips over hers gently.

"Me too," Luke said, his voice cracking. Their lips met, and the fire that fueled their fight flared again, this time bursting into flame. Luke wrapped his arms around her hauling her against him as he angled his head, deepening the kiss, pouring all of his hurt and frustration into the kiss, and finally claiming her as his own. He stepped into her pressing her back against the wall of an open stall a little too forcefully.

Lorelai gasped as her head hit the wall, their teeth knocking together. "Sorry," he said again as he reached to smooth his hand over her hair.

"Bad man," Lorelai said as she arched into him, pressing her lips to his again. She caught his bottom lip between her teeth and bit gently, causing Luke to moan. Her lips curved as she gripped the back of his head and kissed him hard. "So, that's how it's gonna be," she said breathlessly.

"Yeah," he murmured against her lips.

"Hot damn," Lorelai said as she grabbed his arms and turned him, pushing him back into the stall.

Luke looked up and said, "Please, God, tell me this is clean one."

"It is," Lorelai said as she hooked her leg around his and tripped him back onto the hay.

"Hey!" he scowled as he landed hard on the straw.

"Yes, it's hay," Lorelai said with a delighted laugh as she pounced, pushing him down on the straw and covering him with her body. Luke's hands immediately went to her hips, but then slipped down over her ass as her tongue tangled with his and her gathered the denim of her skirt in his hands, pulling it higher until she could straddle him. He pulled her against him, moving her with his hands as she ground against him. "Oh God, you're making me hot," she gasped into his ear before drawing his ear lobe into her mouth.

Luke growled as he cupped her, his fingers parting her as he sucked in a jagged breath. "I can feel you," he said in an awed whisper.

"Off, off," Lorelai said as she sat up, straddling his hips and circling hers as she plucked impatiently at the buttons on his shirt, trying to free them.

"Lorelai," Luke started to protest.

"No more waiting," she said as she began to pull his shirt apart, straining the last two buttons until they popped.

"No more waiting," Luke answered as he sat up, allowing her to slide the shirt from his shoulders. Lorelai kissed him frantically as she tugged his t-shirt free from his jeans, parting only long enough to yank it over his head. She smoothed his hair back into place with her hands bracketed on either side of his head, kissing him deeply, not allowing him a moment to come to his senses.

Finally, Luke wound his arms around her tightly and flipped her over onto her back. Lorelai yelped in surprise, and Luke flashed a rakish smile as he knelt between her bare legs. "You realize it's broad daylight," he said in a low growl.

"I don't care," Lorelai retorted as she ran her hands over his chest, raking her nails through the fine soft hair that trailed down over his stomach.

"The place is crawling with people," he said softly as he ran his hands over her thighs, kneading the tensed muscles until she turned to liquid in his hands.

"There's no one here but us."

Luke lifted his hands and leaned back on his heels, looking down at her, drinking in the dark tumble of her hair against the golden straw. When she opened her mouth to argue with him, he simply turned and slid the stall door closed with a resounding thud. Lorelai's breath caught as he wet his lips and slowly lowered himself down onto her. "Did you really think I was gonna stop?" he whispered low and soft.

"I was afraid you would," she confessed.

Luke shook his head slowly and said, "I've got you now," as he lowered his lips to hers once more.

His hand worked its way under her t-shirt, tracing lazy circles on her skin as he worked steadily higher. His fingertips grazed her breast, just as they had in the kitchen, and Lorelai moaned softly. Luke pressed his open mouth to her neck, drawing her skin against his tongue as he covered her breast with his hand, kneading the soft mound with his strong fingers, pressing back against her as she arched into him. With a frustrated grunt, he pushed back again, tugging at the bottom of her shirt and nodding for her to sit up so that he could remove it. He tossed it aside, his eyes fixed on the pale pink bra she wore beneath. Luke traced the lace edging with the tip of one finger as he said, "Pretty."

"Thank you."

"It has to go," he said as he made his way to the center clasp and slipped that finger beneath it.

His eyes locked on hers, he lifted the clasp and with a flick of his thumb opened it. The lacy cups clung to her breasts, allowing her one last moment of modesty before he brushed them aside, sliding the straps down her arms as he knelt above her. Lorelai pressed her lips to his chest, her warm wet mouth seeking and finding the flat disc of his nipple and drawing it into her mouth, teasing it with her tongue until it pebbled.

"I was gonna do that," Luke said as he gently pushed her back once more. One hand caressed her calf, working its way higher slowly up her leg as he bent and brushed his damp lips over the tip of one breast. Lorelai moaned low and soft, heedless of the straw poking into her back as she rose up to meet him, her breaths coming in soft pants. Luke's thumb trailed lazily over the tender skin inside her thigh as he circled the beaded pink tip with his tongue. Lorelai whimpered in frustration, and then breathed a sigh of relief as he opened his mouth and drew her into the velvety warmth. Relief turned to need as she dug her heels into the hay and lifted her hips from the bedding, urging him higher still. Luke's fingertips brushed her panties, finding them damp with desire, and drive any conscious thought from his head. He pressed his fingers to the slick fabric, groaning against her skin as she undulated, desperate for more of him.

Luke lifted his head and gasped as he fought to fill his lungs with air before he swooped down on her other breast, slipping his fingers under the elastic of her panties. "Oh yes," Lorelai breathed as he sucked her nipple deep into his mouth, teasing it with his teeth, worrying it with his tongue. He parted her with his fingers, brushing against her wet folds, her heat seeping into his skin.

He sat back abruptly, pulling his hand from her skirt and squeezing her thigh roughly. Lorelai immediate sat up and reached for his belt buckle, catching her lip between her teeth as she worked it free. Luke blinked rapidly as he watched her open his pants, her nimble fingers making quick work of the button and the zipper before pushing at the waistband of his boxer briefs, urging them down with his jeans. She slipped one hand into the front of his pants, wrapping her hand around him firmly as she worked him free of the restrictive clothing. Luke's lips parted and his breathing became shallow as he looked down in awe, watching her stroke him teasingly. A moment passed before he had the strength to wrap his hand around her wrist and whisper, "Enough, enough."

"Not enough," Lorelai countered as she freed her hand and reached behind him, running both hands over his taut ass with a growl of appreciation. "All morning long I've been wanting to do this," she confessed with a naughty smile. "You have the most incredible ass."

"You're nuts," he managed with a chuckle. He pushed her back slightly and pushed both hands up under her skirt, working the snug denim up to her hips where he tugged on her panties, pulling them over her hips and sliding them down her legs as he rocked back on his heels.

Lorelai lowered herself to the straw once more and yelped. "Agh!"

"What?" Luke asked, panicked.

"Straw hurts," she pouted as she reached back to rub her injured bottom.

"Oh, uh, here," Luke said as he surged forward, grabbing his flannel from the pile of hay. He nodded for her to lift up and then slipped it beneath her. "Better?" he asked anxiously.

"Much," she lied as they straw poked against the cotton barrier he had provided. "About to be a whole lot better," she said as she reached for him, pulling him down on top of her and kissing him deeply. "Oh, so much better," she murmured against his lips.

Luke ran his hand up over her thigh, lifting her leg and pulling it to him until she wrapped it over his hips. He continued to kiss her, soft nipping kisses alternating with deep lingering ones as he lay poised at her entrance. Finally he lifted his head and looked deep into her eyes as he pressed forward, a rush of breath escaping his lungs as the very tip of him parted her folds and was soon enveloped in her slick heat. He swallowed hard as he fought back the urge to thrust into her, and smiled slightly as he felt Lorelai's hands slide down over his ass. He bit the inside of his lip as he prepared to move deeper, but his eyes flew open wide as Lorelai pulled him to her roughly plunging him into her tight wet walls.

All hope for control was lost as a groan ripped from his throat and Luke began to thrust into her hard and hot. Lorelai arched her neck and smiled her pleasure as she watched him through heavily lidded eyes. Luke's hand grasped her leg pushing her knee up higher as he drove deeper with each stroke. "Oh, yes, yes," Lorelai chanted as she tensed her muscles squeezing him tight inside of her. "You feel so good," she whispered. "So good."

Luke managed a barely audible groan as he pulled back, lengthening each stroke, pushing into her harder. He could feel her nipples raking against his chest as her hands squeezed his ass, urging him on. With a strangled grunt, he slowed, staring down at her with parted lips. "I wanna see you," he said breathlessly.

"What?"

Luke released her leg and slipped both arms under her, holding her to him tightly as he rolled them over. Lorelai blinked in surprise, and then a slow feline smile crept across her face as he pushed down on her hips, circling his beneath her. "Oh, yes," she purred as she pushed up on her hands until she straddled him.

Luke looked down and saw her skirt bunched up around her waist. "Wait, wait," he said as he reached for the button. He grasped her hips and tried to lift her off of him, but Lorelai resisted. "I want to see you," he said again.

Lorelai glanced down at the crumpled material and her mouth formed a small 'O' as she understood what he was saying. She leaned forward, pouting as he slid from her and quickly lowered the zipper on her skirt. She stood up and shimmied it down over her hips, kicking it aside before dropping back to her knees. "Better?"

"So much better," he confirmed as she straddled him once more. She watched his face as she let her knees slide apart and lowered herself onto him. His eyes stayed fixed on her face as she slowly enveloped him once again.

"You're not watching," she whispered.

"Oh yes I am," he said hoarsely. "I am," he murmured as she began to ride him.

Luke's hands caressed her thighs, stroking them, kneading them as he stared up at her. Bits of straw clung to her hair, her curls cascaded over her shoulders down her back as she let her head fall back, exposing her creamy throat. Luke surged up off of the pile of hay, pressing his lips to her neck, scraping his teeth over the soft skin as she rode him wildly, circling her hips, plunging down onto him.

Luke cupped her ass, squeezing it roughly, parting her further as she impaled herself on him. "Oh God, Luke," she whispered in warning.

"Yes, yes," he urged, sliding one hand up to cup her breast. He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, tugging on it lightly before bending her back over his arm and drawing it into his mouth.

"Oh! Oh!" Lorelai cried as she felt her climax surging through her.

Luke felt her tighten further as the spasm over took her, He lifted his head, watching her eyes widen and then close as she moaned loudly and gasped his name. He leaned back, his hands guiding her hips as he watched his cock slide into her. His breathing was ragged as he thrust up to meet each pull of her walls. He fought to keep his eyes open as he felt his own release rippling through him. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, holding her to him with muscles as taut as corded steel. He murmured her name into her hair, pressing his lips blindly to her neck as he shuddered with each thrust, emptying himself into her.

His hands splayed over her smooth back as their breathing slowed, massaging the long lean muscles beneath her skin, savoring the taste of her on his lips. "I never thought I'd have you," he said in a low gravelly voice. Luke lifted his head and pulled back to look her in the eye. "That's why, Lorelai," he confessed softly. "All I wanted was you."

Lorelai framed his face with her hands, staring at him as if she had never truly seen him before. She smoothed her fingers over his brow, smiling tenderly as his beard rasped against her skin. "I'm all yours," she whispered.

Luke's smile was slow to start, but dazzling when it hit its stride. "Hay," he said as he ran his hand over her tangled hair.

"Hey," she whispered affectionately as she rubbed her nose against his scruffy cheek.

Luke chuckled and said, "No, hay," as he plucked a piece of straw from her hair and held it up for her to see.

"Hey!" she said with a laugh as she pushed him back down onto the bedding. "Where the hell are all my clothes," she giggled as she burrowed into his neck.

"Ah, you don't need 'em," he said with a laugh.

They heard a soft whinny at the gate, and both of them jumped, turning their heads to see Desdemona staring into the stall with one big soft brown eye. Lorelai burst out laughing as she grabbed for the flannel that was half buried in the hay.

"Desdemona! Shoo! Shoo!" Lorelai said as she clutched the shirt to her chest, waving her arm wildly.

Luke laughed was deep and rumbling as he watched her slip into his shirt. "Don't forget to cover your ass," he chuckled.

"Hush you," she said as she slapped at his chest. "Bad enough to have one horse who thinks he's Houdini, now I have another that's apparently a voyeur!" Lorelai said indignantly, causing Luke to laugh harder as he pulled her back down to him. "It's not funny."

"Oh yes it is. You should see your face," he said with a satisfied smile.


	5. First There Was Class, There Were Sighs

**First There Was Class, then There Were Sighs**

Lorelai smiled. "Don't you want me, Luke?" she asked softly, pressing her lips to his neck.

"God, you know I do," he growled. "I just figured there'd be a date. Dinner, a movie, a bed, something," he whispered, unable to stop his hands from cupping her bottom and drawing her to the edge of the counter.

"See, now you know. Not only am I easy, I'm fairly cheap too," she said as she nipped at his ear.

Luke laughed and said, "You are neither cheap nor easy. No one knows this better than I do."

"True, so true," she purred in his ear, her warm breath driving him wild.

"There's hot grease, and knives and other sharp implements that I'd rather not to be exposed to without at least some clothing on," he argued, dipping his head and drawing on the tender skin of her neck gently.

Lorelai moaned and arched into him. "Storeroom?" she asked breathlessly.

"Great idea," Luke growled as he pulled her against him roughly, his obvious arousal pressing into the thin barrier of her track pants.

****

_Earlier that day…_

"Hey," Luke said as he slammed the apartment door behind him.

Jess barely even looked up from his book as he muttered, "Hey. So, what's going on out there?"

Luke glanced toward the windows and said, "Ah, just Lorelai dealing with some women about out something or other." He started to move about the apartment, clearly searching for something, a sign, a clue. "So we did that thing at the school today," he said as he peeked behind the armchair. Jess watched with mild interest as Luke moved across the apartment. "Yeah, it went pretty well. All the kids seemed relatively unarmed," he said as he yanked open the closet door. "Yeah, I just told 'em about the diner and cooking things, and I expect kids all over town will rush out tomorrow and buy a spatula," Luke said with a smirk, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"Checking for monsters?" Jess asked sardonically.

"Oh, no, just…" Luke murmured, unsure of how to explain his impromptu inspection.

"Just what?"

Luke shrugged and said, "Just didn't wanna accidentally bump into someone in there."

Jess eyed his uncle and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Luke hooked a thumb at the closet door and asked, "Jess, did you have a girl stashed in there before?"

"Before what?" Jess equivocated.

"Lorelai said you were hiding someone here earlier, she said a girl. Were you?"

"Yes."

Luke's eyes widened as he stared at his nephew, incredulous. "Jess, you don't shove a girl in a closet."

"I did not shove her in the closet. She got in voluntarily."

"Oh, sure."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Look, Shane freaked when she heard you guys coming. Next thing I know, she's in there. I personally didn't care if you guys saw us or not, but hey, women, right? You can't live with 'em, you can't keep 'em from jumping in the closet."

Luke stared at Jess, his face a portrait of disbelief. "Uh, you and I have got to have a little talk."

Jess closed his book and said, "Hey, if you're gonna get all Ward Cleaver on me, I gotta go call Eddie and Lumpy and tell 'em I'm gonna be late."

"Shut up for a second, would ya? Look, I know you're at an age where the whole girl thing is, you know, on your mind a lot, and it's probably not helping you to think straight with all the hormones and other things that are raging around in there," Luke began awkwardly. "My point is that you gotta think about things a little better, you know, the way you act. I mean, if you care about a girl the way you do with this Shane…"

"I don't care about her," Jess said flatly.

"What?"

Jess shook his head as he shrugged and said, "I don't even know her last name."

Luke reared back in surprise. "You're kidding."

"She mentioned it once. It didn't stick," Jess told Luke with a smirk.

"Well, if you don't care about her, what are you doing with her?"

Jess tried to blow the conversation off. "Just hanging with her, no biggie."

"Well, you gotta be doing something more than hanging with her. I mean, you got to at least be doing something with her to make her jump in a closet when people come into the room," Luke persisted.

Jess shook his head and mumbled, "Relax, will ya? All is good."

"Jess, this isn't right. You can't treat a girl like this, like dirt!" Luke insisted.

Jess started gathering his things to leave. "If it's any consolation to you, she treats me like dirt, too. It's a pretty symbiotic relationship."

"And that's fine with you?"

"Yes, it is."

"To just go along in a relationship, you treat somebody bad and they treat you bad back," Luke persisted.

"That's right."

"Oh, that makes you happy?" Luke asked snidely, unable to wrap his head around his nephew's attitude.

"I'd do back flips but I am way too cool," Jess deadpanned.

"That makes absolutely no sense."

"It doesn't have to make sense to you."

"There are plenty other of girls out there in the world, Jess," Luke cajoled.

"Don't you have to get back to the diner?" Jess asked, anxious to be done with the discussion.

"I mean, you can go out and at least find one that you actually care about," Luke said encouragingly.

"Oh, like it's that easy," Jess snapped.

"Yeah, it's that easy if you try."

"Hey, the girls that I like don't give a damn about me! And unlike some other people I know, I'm not gonna sit around hoping that they change their minds and suddenly notice me," Jess said angrily.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luke asked defensively.

"You fixed any neighbor's porches lately? Or you go on a picnic or you get rooked into giving a ridiculous speech at a high school?" Jess sneered, getting into Luke's face.

"Shut up," Luke snapped.

"At least I've got a little self-esteem."

"Shut up."

Jess pointed to his chest. "I'm not playing Golden Retriever, hoping one day she'll turn around and fall in my arms. If she doesn't wanna be with me, then fine."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Luke said in a low warning tone.

Jess rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I gotta go, Shane's waiting."

"Oh, you mean what's-her-name?"

Jess pulled the apartment door open and sneered, "Yeah, I'll bring you a new leash when I get back."

"Get outta here," Luke growled, pushing the door shut behind Jess and letting it slam so hard that the frosted glass rattled in its ancient frame.

****

As soon as Lorelai could escape Deb and the rest of the Harper Valley PTA, Lorelai ducked into Doose's to pick up a pint of therapy from the freezer case. She was more rattled than she cared to admit, and prayed that it didn't show. It was bad enough to be grilled by a roomful of sixteen year olds. The whole fiasco was made just a tad worse by the fact that Luke got to witness it all. And if his amused chuckles brought on my the adolescent ambush weren't bad enough, he also got to bear witness to the showdown with the mom-haired appliquéd sweater set. Lorelai squeezed her eyes shut as she clutched the pint of Ben & Jerry's to her chest, praying that was the end of the day's never ending string of humiliations.

He sat there listening to them as they fired question after question at her, not one of them a question concerning the management of an inn or even about the hospitality industry in general. No, all they wanted to know about was the fact that she managed to get knocked up sometime after Homecoming but before Prom. _Nailed like a two-by-four_, Lorelai thought with a shudder. She stared down at the pint of cookie dough ice cream in her hand, trying to force the incident from her mind. "Well, I think I'm gonna need the strong stuff, then," she said as she put the pint back and reached for the Phish Food.

Lorelai wandered the aisles, checking to be sure that there was nothing else she would need to soothe her injured pride. When she spotted the meager display of toys that Taylor had on one of the end caps, she paused, scanning it for a likely mark. With a small smile, she slipped a package off of the hook and carried it to the register with her. Clutching the small paper bag in her hand, she made her way to the diner. The bells rang out, announcing her arrival, and Caesar stepped from the kitchen.

"Hey Caesar, the man around?" she asked with a wan smile.

"He's upstairs."

"Cool, thanks," she said as she headed toward the back of the diner. Just as she reached for the curtain, she heard the rumble of footsteps hurrying down the steps and stopped, waiting for Luke to appear. Instead, Jess burst through the curtain, nearly plowing her over. "Oh! I thought you were Luke," Lorelai said as she pressed her hand to her heart.

"Upstairs. Make sure he sits nicely before you give him his Milkbone," he muttered as he brushed past her heading for the door.

"Huh?" Lorelai asked as Jess jerked the diner door open and then slammed it behind him. She made a face and then stepped through the curtain with a worried frown. As she walked up the steps, she pulled the toy from her bag and carefully folded the bag once more, keeping her prize safe inside. She knocked lightly on the frosted glass, and smiled as she looked down at the cheesy packaging on the rip off brand of toys that Taylor chose to carry.

Luke pulled the door open with a brusque, "What?"

Lorelai blinked in shock and then held up the package holding the fake Matchbox car. "I brought you your toy," she said with a hesitant smile. Luke stared at her for a moment, clearly trying to figure out what the hell she was talking about. "See? You don't have to put it together," she said enticingly as she waved the package in front of his eyes.

"Thanks," Luke said tersely as he snatched the package from her fingers and turned to go back into the apartment, leaving the door ajar.

"Are you okay?" Lorelai asked as she crossed the threshold cautiously.

"Jess is an ass," Luke grumbled.

"There's a newsflash," Lorelai muttered. When Luke turned to glare at her, she softened and asked, "Did you guys have a fight?"

"He thinks he's so damn smart, that he's got it all figured out, well I have news for him, it's a hell of a lot easier at seventeen," Luke ranted.

"What is?"

"Everything!" Luke said as he flung his arm wide.

Lorelai chuckled and said, "Well, not everything. I think today was a pretty good reminder of that."

Luke waved his hand and said, "Nah, you handled all that. You can handle anything."

"What are you having a hard time handling?" she asked as she set her bag down on the table.

Luke looked down at the package in his hand, chewing the inside of his cheek as his mind raced. Finally, he looked up at her and asked, "No regrets, right?"

"What?"

"Regrets are stupid. Everyone does things, says things, makes decisions that they would do differently, but there's no point in regretting them, right? You don't regret having Rory when you did. I mean, it's not what you would want her to do, and you might no choose to do it that way again, but she's Rory, right?"

"She is Rory," Lorelai confirmed with a puzzled frown.

Luke nodded and looked down at the tiny car in his hand. "I like you, Lorelai," he said quietly.

Lorelai smiled at his gruff admission and said, "I like you too, Luke. That's why I got you the fake Mustang, and not the fake Fairlane."

Luke shook his head, clutching the cardboard backing on the toy car and said, "No, I mean I like you. As more than friends. I'm attracted to you," he added as he looked up at her, trying to gauge her reaction.

"Oh," Lorelai said softly, lowering her hand to the back of a chair as she tried to take it all in.

"Jess was right. I've been hanging around, fixing your porch rail, pouring your coffee, hoping you'd notice me, but you never do. So, I just, I thought I'd just, uh, put it out there," he finished, looking down at the tiny car in his hands.

"You fix my house because you're attracted to me?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah, well, no, I mean, that's not why," Luke stammered.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him and asked, "Was I supposed to pay you for that in some way?"

"What?"

"Were you fixing my porch rail and stuff so that you could get in my pants?" she asked incredulously.

"What? No!"

"Because if that's how you were going to go about it, you should have taken a more obvious route," she said angrily. "Lay some carpet, get laid. Screw in some screws, get screwed. Hammer a goddamn nail and you can nail her like a two by four!" she shouted. "You liked that, right? You said you did. Watching those kids nail me like a two-by-four. Did that do it for you, Luke, or were you wishing it was you?" she asked angrily.

"Hey! Hang on a minute," he shouted back. "I never said that!"

"You just did!" she yelled.

"That's not what I mean!"

"Oh come on, Luke. You're not the first guy who's ever thought, 'Hey, she had a kid at sixteen, she must be easy'. I have to tell you, I'm a little disappointed in your lack of originality."

"Easy? Easy? Who in their right mind would ever think that you're easy? You are far from easy. Six years, Lorelai, six years!"

"Six years what? Oh my God, have you been thinking about seeing me naked for that long?" she asked as she made a disgusted face.

"We have known each other for six years. Have I ever, once, said or did anything that could possibly be considered inappropriate?" he demanded. "Have I ever hit on you, or said anything even remotely suggestive?"

"I don't know, maybe you're just really bad at it and that's why you're so damn hard up!" she shot back.

"Hard up?" he asked incredulously. "You seriously think I have any problem getting laid if I want to?"

"How should I know?" Lorelai said as she threw her hands up in the air.

"Take my word for it, it's not a problem," he said snidely.

"Oh, of course it's not, Butch," she said mimicking his snarky tone.

"Oh my god," he said as he shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe this!" He curled his fingers into his palm and pressed his fist to his lips in some vain hope that he could just stop the words from coming out, but it was already too late. "I was wrong. I do believe in regrets. I'm sorry I ever said anything," he said at last.

"I am too!" Lorelai spat.

"This, right here, the single biggest regret of my life!" he shouted as he pointed to the floor for emphasis.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I won't be offering any consolation prizes," Lorelai said as she snatched her bag from the table and turned to leave. She turned and glared at him as she stood in the open doorway. When he looked up at her, Lorelai shook her head and said only, "Your speech sucked," as she reached for the door and closed it behind her with a resounding thud and a rattle of glass.

She ran down the stairs and pushed through the curtain, ignoring the curious stares that followed her as she made her way through the diner. Lorelai pulled the door open then paused, looking back over her shoulder. Suddenly she turned and stalked to the nearest clean table. Ignoring Caesar's stunned stare, she plucked a spoon from a place setting and then hurried through the door, clutching it tightly in her fist.

Luke walked over to the windows and pressed his hand to the frame, leaning into it heavily as he hung his head, trying to push down the pain and anger that roiled inside of him. He saw a flash of lavender and the gleam of her dark hair as she strode quickly down the sidewalk, the jacket of her trim charcoal grey suit flapping open in the breeze. Luke closed his eyes and twisted his neck to the side, feeling the tiny pops along his spine as he tried to work the tension from it. He watched as Lorelai crossed the street without looking and then stood on the opposite curb, lost in thought. Finally, he saw her wipe her eyes with the heel of her hand, drop the paper bag into a trash can on the corner, and pry the lid from a small container as she started walking toward the gazebo. With a sigh, he let his hand slide down the window frame, and then turned to leave the apartment.

Lorelai stood on the corner as she tried to blink back the tears that threatened. She wanted to go home and curl up on her bed. But, Rory was home, and curling up on her bed at five in the afternoon would surely arouse suspicion, which would questions for which she had no answers. Lorelai looked down at the bag and spoon clutched tightly in her hand and then reached up and angrily brushed the tears away with the hell of her hand. She pulled the pint of ice cream from the bag and thanked God her errant brain at least manufactured enough forethought to grab a spoon. Taking a deep breath, Lorelai pried the lid from the container, fixed her eyes on the gazebo and began to walk slowly as she dug her spoon into the softening ice cream.

She sucked on the spoon, milking the spoonful of frozen consolation as she walked up the steps of the gazebo. She sat down heavily on one of the benches, carefully turning her back to the diner. As she pulled the spoon from her mouth, Lorelai admitted to herself that she shouldn't have been as shocked as she was. People had been telling her that Luke had feelings for her for years. And if she were being entirely truthful, she had felt the stirrings of deeper feelings for him a time or two, she could admit. "Or six," she muttered as she dug another spoonful of ice cream from the pint. She heard leaves crunching underfoot and looked up to see Luke approaching, his hands buried deep in his pockets, his expression wary.

"Can't you just leave me alone?" she muttered.

"Um, no, see, that's my problem," he said with a wry smile. Without waiting for permission, Luke stepped up into the gazebo and sat down on the bench next to her, leaving a safe twelve inches between them.

"You've come for another round? Just can't get enough, can you?" she asked sarcastically. "If it's not about sex, what is it Luke? Is it the scintillating conversation? My healthy eating habits? I know that you already find my ability to use good judgment questionable. What exactly is it that you find so attractive?"

"Everything," he said as he stared at his clasped hands, rubbing his thumb against his palm nervously. "Here," he said as he leaned forward and began to pull his wallet from his back pocket.

Lorelai's eyebrows shot up as she plunged the spoon into the pint of ice cream. "Wow." She looked at him wide eyed and said, "You know, if you're gonna offer to pay me that moves this whole thing to a new level."

Luke looked over at her, annoyed, and shook his head in disgust as he pulled a tiny slip of paper from his wallet. He held it out to her and said, "I've been carrying this around for a few years. Six to be exact," he added as she took the scrap from his fingers.

Lorelai eyed him suspiciously as she set the pint of ice cream on the bench between them and unfolded the slip, only to find a horoscope torn from the newspaper covered in her own loopy handwriting. "You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she will go away," she read aloud. A small smile curved her lips as she said, "I remember this."

"Bet you don't remember telling me to put it in my wallet and carry it around with me. You said one day it would bring good luck," Luke said quietly. "It's not sex, Lorelai. Sex is easy. I don't know why I, uh, feel the way I do about you, I just do. I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of worrying. I just wanted to tell you so that you'd know, and maybe if you thought you might feel the same way too, well…" he trailed off as he turned away, staring out over the square.

Lorelai stared at the scrap of newspaper between her fingers and whispered, "You kept this in your wallet."

Luke nodded and turned back toward her. "I think we could be good together, you and me. I mean, aside from your need to talk all the time, and the disgusting crap you shovel into your mouth…" he paused as he looked down at the container of ice cream. "Is this one of the diner's spoons?"

Lorelai's smile turned to a silent chuckle. "I was mad at you."

Luke nodded and said, "Yeah, well, aside from your problem with kleptomania too, we're good friends, right? We trust each other. We count on each other. At least I do," he said with a helpless shrug.

"We do," Lorelai confirmed.

"There are worse ways to start a relationship."

"True," Lorelai conceded, her eyes fixed on the horoscope as she processed what he said. She kept her eyes averted as she smirked slightly. "I always thought it would be the sex."

"What?"

"You know, like the flirting would go too far one day, and well, you know," she admitted shyly.

"So you've thought about it? You and me?" Luke asked, a hint of hope creeping into his voice.

"Well, sure," Lorelai said as she looked over at him in surprise. "I guess I didn't really expect to, uh, talk about it."

"Don't you think we should talk about it?"

Lorelai chuckled, her eyes lighting as she said, "Imagine that, Luke Danes asking me to talk."

"I don't mind the talking when we talk about real stuff. You know, the kids, work, your house, the town, or whatever. It's the stupid movie stuff I don't get," he muttered.

"Movies are real, Luke. You can buy them in stores now," she teased gently.

"You know what I mean," he said in an exasperated tone.

"I need to think."

Luke nodded slowly and said, "Okay."

Lorelai nodded too and stood up. Luke stood up as she reached for her ice cream and cradled the pint in both hands. "We'll, uh, talk. You know, after I think," she said, nodding like a bobble head doll.

"Sounds good." When Lorelai tipped her head up, looking at him expectantly, Luke frowned as he asked, "What?"

Lorelai shrugged and stepped back as she said, "Just seeing if you were gonna try to kiss me."

"I think I'd rather wait for the verdict, if you don't mind," he said dryly.

Lorelai nodded sagely. "Don't want to know what you missing?" she asked teasingly.

"Exactly," Luke replied as he turned and walked down the steps. He made it about five feet from the gazebo before he turned back to see if she was still watching. "What?" he asked self-consciously.

Lorelai smiled, glad that he had followed her after all. "See ya later, Butch," she called.

Luke rolled his eyes and held up one hand in a wave as he turned away, walking quickly back to the diner, anxious to quit while he was ahead.

Lorelai couldn't help but smile as she stepped slowly down the steps, watching Luke trot across the street, take the diner steps two at a time, and disappear back into his haven. She spotted Rory and Lane walking down the sidewalk, and hurried to catch up to them.

"Ah, people who like me, great. Or, people who like me in a reasonable and acceptable manner for our relationship in life," she amended quickly.

"O-kay. How was your talk at the school?" Rory asked.

"Oh, just peachy," Lorelai said as she stared at the ice cream container in her hand meaningfully. She turned to Lane and asked, "Is your hair blacker?"

Lane's hands flew to her hair as she moaned, "Uh oh."

Rory scowled at her mother. "Oh, I wish you hadn't have said that." She moved in between Lorelai and Lane and said, "It's not noticeable, but just stay out of bright lighting."

"What happened?" Lorelai asked.

"I dyed my hair," Lane confessed. "Then I dyed it back, but for a full thirty minutes, I looked like this," she said as she pulled out a picture and handed it to Lorelai proudly.

"Whoa, you look cool! You're insane," Lorelai said with an admiring grin.

Lane nodded. "I got sane again, but I will always have that picture. Oh, uh, hide it at your place?" she asked.

"Will do," Lorelai confirmed.

"I gotta go. And remember, we still need a plan," she reminded Rory.

"Yes, we do," Lorelai confirmed. As Lane ran off, she turned to Rory and asked, "Why do we need a plan?" as Rory dug a spoonful of ice cream from the container.

"A plan so that Lane doesn't have to quit her band," Rory said as she shifted the ice cream around in her mouth.

"Lane can't quit the band! She has to get famous and introduce me to Bono," Lorelai said indignantly.

Rory swallowed the ice cream and nodded as she said, "I told her that."

"All right, let's go eat, and see if we can figure out a way to salvage my future as a groupie."

"Sounds good."

Lorelai carefully steered Rory away from the diner as she said, "Let's go to Al's Pancake World for a change. He's doing a salute to Jamaica again."

"Okay, as long as Al doesn't play the kettle drums all night."

"We'll hide his mallets when he's not looking," Lorelai promised.

Rory turned to her mother and said, "So, come on, tell me how the talk went."

"Oh, it was great. It was one minute on my success in the business world, and that went very well. And it was ten minutes on the possibility that if I had had sex with a different man at a different time in my life, you wouldn't have been born," Lorelai said with a wry smile.

"What?"

"I kind of got off on a tangent," she said as she wrinkled her nose.

Rory's eyes widened. "A big one. How did that happen?"

"I'll tell you about it at Al's. Just don't expect to be invited to any more swim parties at Kathy Fincher's house."

"Well, don't wait 'til Al's. Tell me now," Rory insisted.

Lorelai squeezed Rory's shoulders as she cooed, "Oh, I just love my little fluke."

"Come on, what happened?"

Lorelai stopped and pulled the spoon from the pint of ice cream. She stuck it into her mouth as she tossed the container in a trash can, and then licked the spoon clean before tucking it into her purse.

"What are you doing?"

"That's Luke's spoon," Lorelai explained with a shrug. "Trust me, a lot more happened today than just the talk at school," she said ominously.

"Well, start there and tell all, otherwise I'll never be able to choke down Al's jerk chicken," Rory said with an enthusiastic nod.

"All right. Well, it started off really good and then all these kids started asking me all these questions, you know, about like wasn't I your mom, which I proudly owned up to," she said with a nod.

"Thank you."

Then it was all about how I was sixteen when I had you, and what about school, and was I sorry I got pregnant, and what if I had gotten pregnant at another time with another guy. Let me tell you, Deb and the other moms are loving me right now," Lorelai said drolly.

"I bet."

"And then, after the Stepford moms confront me on the sidewalk, oh! All of this happened right in front of Luke, by the way," she added with a smirk. "He was tickled, let me tell you. Almost giddy."

"I can't imagine giddy Luke," Rory said with a grin.

"Believe me, there are a lot of things about Luke I never imagined before this afternoon," Lorelai said with a snort.

"My, that sounded dirty," Rory said in a worried tone.

"No, not dirty. At least, not yet," Lorelai said as she opened the door to Al's Pancake World.

"Ew, Mom!" Rory groaned.

"Oh kid, you have no idea. We kind of got into it, Luke and me," Lorelai said as she followed Rory into the restaurant. "But he was good, you know, when the twinset mafia advanced he was right there, smiling at them like, 'Oh man, you picked the wrong woman to mess with,' you know? But he totally hung back, just making sure that I could handle them," she said as they approached the counter. "Hey, do you mind if we get this to go? I'm dying to get comfortable," she said as she glanced down at her suit and heels.

"Sure, no problem," Rory said as she turned and began to place their take out order.

As they waited, Rory asked, "So what happened after that?"

"Well, I was a little upset," Lorelai admitted in a low voice. "I mean, I was so excited to be asked to give the talk, and then, bam! I got clobbered! So I went to Doose's to meet up with my good friends Ben and Jerry, and while I was there, I saw these little cars. I promised Luke a toy if he went to the talk like a good boy and so, I bought this cheesy looking little Mustang rip off and went to give it to him."

"And he was naked?" Rory asked in a scandalized tone.

"What? No! There was no nudity involved in this story," she said indignantly. "It was strictly PG-13. Maybe, R," she corrected with a frown. "I never know what the line is." Lorelai looked up as Mr. and Mrs. Cassini walked into the restaurant and smiled as they exchanged greetings. She watched as the older couple was seated just a couple of tables away from Miss Patty, and grimaced as she turned back to Rory. "Do you mind if I wait until we get home to tell you?" she asked pleadingly.

"Mom," Rory whined.

"There are too many ears here, Rory," Lorelai said as her eyes bored into her daughter's.

Rory sighed and said, "Okay, but when we get home, you're spilling your guts, Missy. I want to know what happened, word for word."

"Oh, no you don't," Lorelai said with a laugh. "But I will give you the moderately edited version."

****

Rory slid her empty plate onto the coffee table and said, "Wow. That's kind of big."

"Thank you, Oh Master of Understatement," Lorelai drawled.

"I'm serious. It had to be really hard for Luke to admit all of that," Rory said sympathetically.

"Hard for Luke? What about me? I was totally blindsided!"

Rory sighed and said, "Well, maybe you were at that moment, but come on, Mom."

"Come on, what, Rory?"

"Don't act like you didn't know it was a possibility. Everyone has been telling you for years," Rory said sternly.

"But Rory, this wasn't just 'Hey, I think you're cute, let's catch a movie' or something like that. This was more than that," Lorelai tried to explain.

"Yes, it was much more than that." Rory leaned back against the arm of the couch and asked, "So, you just told him that you needed to think about it?"

"Yeah."

"After you accused him of trying to have sex with you," Rory added with a smirk.

Lorelai turned to look at her daughter and raised one eyebrow. "You do realize that if I date Luke, there would be a very real possibility of that happening sooner or later."

"Ew, Mom! I don't need to have that image in my head!"

"Well, you're the one that brought it up again. That's what happens eventually when people are in a relationship," Lorelai said pointedly. "That is, people who are over the age of twenty-five and well established in their lives," she added quickly.

"Right." Rory pondered the implications of that for a moment and then said, "Okay. Leaving out any and all details, let me just ask you this. Can you see yourself with Luke in a more than friend-ish way?" she asked cautiously.

Lorelai smirked and asked, "You mean, can I see myself wanting to get Olivia Newton-John with him?"

"You can leave out the part about whether you plan to wear the headband," Rory said quickly.

Lorelai glanced down a little shyly and then smiled as she said, "Luke is a very, uh, attractive guy. You know, once you get past all of the bizarre fashion choices."

"So, that's a yes?"

"Let's just leave it at that's not what I'm worried about."

"What are you worried about, then?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't have the best track record," she said with a wince.

"Neither does Luke," Rory pointed out.

"Okay, not a compelling argument for the relationship thing," Lorelai said as she rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't sure what side I was supposed to be debating," Rory said defensively.

Lorelai licked her lips as she looked down at her fingers twisted together in her lap. "Here's the thing. Now that I'm a little calmer, and I've been fed," she added with a self-effacing smile. "I think I'm leaning toward yes," she admitted. Lorelai turned to look at Rory and asked, "How do you feel about that? I mean, Luke isn't just some random guy."

Rory chuckled and said, "Luke is anything but random." Rory stood up and stretched as she said, "I don't know. I guess I would be happy. For Luke, because I think he's wanted this for a long time. For you, because we know he's a really good guy."

"Yeah, he is," Lorelai agreed.

"I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you that I would have no objection to it, if that counts for anything," Rory said as she gathered their plates and silverware to carry them to the sink.

"It counts for everything," Lorelai said firmly.

Rory smiled and said, "You think. I have some reading to do."

As she left the room, Lorelai picked up the remote control and turned on the television. She spent a few minutes flipping through the channels, and then settled on a re-run of 'Designing Women' before dropping the remote to her lap and trying to concentrate on the show. When the credits ran twenty minutes later, Lorelai was jolted from her thoughts by the realization that she had failed miserably. She pointed the remote at the television and turned it off. Her slippers scuffed against the floor as she dragged her feet to the stairs, and looked up as if expecting to find the answer there. With a frustrated shake of her head, Lorelai turned and headed for the kitchen, smiling as she saw the small pile of dishes sitting next to the sink.

She started the water, added a generous squeeze of dish soap, and watched as the sink rapidly filled with bubbles. When the water was satisfactorily sudsy, she added the two plates, two forks and two coffee mugs that rested nearby to the sink. Once they rested in the drainer, she reached for the plug, but stopped herself from pulling it as her head jerked up. Lorelai pulled her hand from the soapy water and wiped the suds on her butt as she walked back into the living room. She grabbed her purse, began to root through it, and with a triumphant smile, she pulled the spoon she had swiped from the diner free from the depths. She hurried back to the kitchen with is clasped in her hand and dropped it into the sink with a satisfied smile.

Lorelai picked up the sponge and with a small smile curving her lips began to carefully wash the spoon she had purloined. She wrapped the sponge around the bowl of the spoon, washing away all DNA evidence of her thievery, and then carefully removed her fingerprints from the handle. Holding it with the sponge, she ran it under the faucet to rinse it, and then grabbed the dishtowel to dry it, buffing the stainless steel to a dull gleam.

Rory leaned against her doorframe and asked, "You going?"

Lorelai jumped, and then turned from the sink, holding the spoon wrapped in the dishcloth. "I don't know what he wants with me. We have nothing in common. I'm everything that he hates," she said in a puzzled tone.

"Maybe at first glance," Rory said with a smug smile.

"What do you mean?"

Rory shrugged as she pushed away from the door. "Well, yeah, it might seem that way on the surface, but underneath it all, you guys have a lot in common."

"Like what?"

"You're both dedicated to your families. You to me and now even to Grandma and Grandpa a little bit. Luke is a single guy who cares enough to take his nephew in when he needed a place to go. You both work hard, and you care about things enough to try to do the right thing even if you're not really sure what the right thing is. And even though he grumbles and complains about it, he always comes through for the town, for anyone, just like you. Without the grumbling," she added as an afterthought. "You already care about him, and he already cares about you, us, actually," Rory corrected herself. "I think once you get past the whole Chatty Cathy and the Monosyllabic Diner Guy thing, you and Luke have a lot more going for you than most people do."

"Chatty Cathy?" Lorelai asked with a laugh.

"Yes, I think you're an absolute doll," Rory said dryly.

"I should go, huh?"

Rory nodded and said, "Put the guy out of his misery."

"He seemed pretty perky when I last saw him," Lorelai countered as she pulled a baggie from the drawer.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked as Lorelai dropped the spoon into the bag.

"Covering my tracks," Lorelai said with a shrug.

Rory narrowed her eyes and said, "Wait. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you shouldn't do this."

"I shouldn't?" Lorelai asked, her face falling in disappointment.

"No guy deserves to be saddled with a girl who steals cutlery," Rory said as she shook her head sadly.

"Yeah, corn starch is so much better," Lorelai said as she headed for toward the living room. She tucked the spoon into the pocket of her sweatshirt. "Wish me luck?" she asked as she paused in front of her daughter.

"Don't think you'll need it, but yeah, good luck," Rory said as she pecked a kiss to Lorelai's cheek. "Mom?"

"Yeah, Sweets," Lorelai answered, as she stopped in her tracks.

"For what it's worth, I think you two might be really good together. You know, compliment each other," Rory said with a shrug.

"That's worth a lot," Lorelai said a she hugged Rory tightly. "Be back soon," Lorelai said as she gave Rory's hand an excited squeeze. "But hopefully not too soon," she called as she hurried for the front door.

As soon as she crossed the lawn, Lorelai wished she had thought to grab the car keys. As soon as she hit the sidewalk, she wished she had stopped to change her clothes. As soon as the square came into view, she wished she had at least combed her hair. As soon as she spotted the yellow coffee cup sign swaying in the autumn breeze, she knew that none of mattered. Still, she was vain enough to pull the ancient scrunchie from her hair and run her fingers through it to arrange it into some order as she crossed the street. As she stepped up onto the curb, she shoved the scrunchie into the pocket of her hoodie, smiling as her fingers brushed the baggie holding the spoon. She tugged at the hem of the sweatshirt and glanced down at her black Adidas track pants, wishing she had opted for the cute Juicy Couture pair she had just bought. She opened the door, relieved to see that the diner was empty as she stepped inside.

"I'm about to close," Luke called out as he stepped from the kitchen, drying his hands on a towel. He stopped short when he saw Lorelai standing just inside the door and said, "Oh. Hey. Uh, didn't expect to see you so soon," he admitted as he studied her face anxiously.

"Does that mean I get the rest of that pot by default?" she asked with a nervous smile, gesturing to the coffee pot.

Luke snorted and asked, "Plan on sleeping tonight?"

"Not really," Lorelai answered.

"No?"

"Eventful day. I usually have a little trouble getting unwound after days like today," she said with a shrug.

"Could be because you swill a pot of coffee instead of going to bed," he pointed out.

Lorelai's smile was warm as she moved to the end of the counter. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the baggie containing the spoon she had lifted. "I stole this," she confessed as she held the bag up in front of his eyes. "Of course, all trace evidence has been removed," she added with a shrug.

"Of course," Luke said as he slowly reached for the baggie.

"I couldn't incriminate myself."

"I saw you with the spoon in question," he reminded her.

"But you can't prove that." she said softly.

"You just confessed," Luke said in a low voice as he stepped a little closer to her.

Lorelai looked down, staring at the dark hair that dusted his forearms beneath the rolled cuffs of his shirt. Her eyes trailed up, lingering on the snowy white undershirt that peeked from his open collar. When she finally made it back to his face, she licked her lips nervously as she reached out and touched her fingers to that too tempting line where his skin met the white cotton. "I guess you have two options," she said as she traced the edge of his collar.

"Yeah?"

Lorelai nodded as she looked at him steadily. "You can either press charges, or we can kiss and make up," she said, her voice soft and hopeful.

Luke's smile was slow to start, but quickly charged up to full wattage. "You're just lucky that all evidence has been removed. I would have thrown the book at ya," he said, his voice low and affectionate.

Lorelai reached up and ran her fingertips over his cheek. "I guess I got off easy." Her eyes widened as she caught what she said, and burst out laughing. "I mean, I got lucky," she gasped. When Luke's eyebrows shot up suggestively, she laughed and said, "I mean, you could have really let me have it… Oh my God, everything is coming out dirty!"

"You should probably just shut up," Luke suggested with a sly smile. When her jaw dropped in righteous indignation, Luke placed one finger under her chin, closing her mouth for her and tipping her lips up to his. "Gonna kiss you now," he warned.

Lorelai nodded slightly and murmured, "Okay. Good."

Luke's lips touched hers in a sweet caress. Warm and soft, firm but gentle, he kissed her, pulling her closer to him as the baggie holding the spoon dangled forgotten from his fingers and then fell to the floor. When he lifted his mouth from hers, Lorelai whispered, "Don't stop."

"Commere," Luke said as he took her hands and pulled her back toward the kitchen.

"Where are we going? I'm not allowed in here, remember? Are you gonna try to teach me to cook, because, seriously Luke, Sookie has tried and tried and if she ca…" he cut her off with another kiss. "Oh," she mumbled as she wound her arms around his neck.

Luke kissed her again, his lips lingering against hers even as he pulled back and whispered, "Windows."

"No windows," Lorelai said as she pulled him down to her again, kissing him passionately.

Lorelai parted her lips in invitation, and Luke took full advantage. His tongue smoothed over hers, tasting her, taunting her as he made a low soft sound deep in his throat. When she pulled back, he murmured, "No."

"I think that was the sexiest sound I've ever heard. Do it again," she said as he pressed soft kisses to his stubbly jaw.

"Do what again?" Luke asked, closing his eyes and letting her have her way with him

"That sound."

"What sound?"

"Don't argue with me now," Lorelai said as she nipped at his earlobe as punishment.

Luke groaned once more and plunged his hand into her hair, tilting her head back and holding her still for the onslaught of his kisses. Lips teeth and tongues circled and clashed. His fingers flexed against her scalp, combining with the sensuous dance of his tongue against hers and the warmth of his body emanating through the layers of clothes to send shivers down her spine. Luke pulled her closer still, his hand splayed over the small of her back, his fingers flirting with the curve of her ass as he pressed into her, molding her soft body to his. Lorelai whimpered softly, arching against him sinuously, desperate to get closer to the heat of him. Luke turned urging her back against the butcher block work surface and then banding his arms tightly around her and lifting her up onto it as if she were weightless.

Lorelai's hands slid to his shoulders and then down over his chest, using the space created by her position on the countertop as her opportunity to explore him. She kissed him harder, demanding more from him and moaning softly when she got all she asked for and more. She locked her ankles behind him pulling him to the edge of the counter as she sought the buttons on his oxford cloth shirt.

Lorelai's fingers worked the tiny buttons through the button holes, and tugged the shirt from the waistband of his jeans.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked in a raspy voice.

Lorelai wriggled a little closer to the edge of the butcher block work surface and reached for him as she asked, "What do you think I'm doing?"

"You're undressing me."

"Yeah. If you knew the answer, why did you ask?" she teased as she ran her hands over the soft white undershirt he wore and then began gathering it in her fingers.

"We're in the kitchen."

"I know. I have to tell you, I never imagined this particular scenario, but it's working for me," she said with a grin. Lorelai ran her hands over his pecs and growled softly to show her appreciation.

"You imagined this?"

"Well, uh, yeah, haven't you?"

"Well, you seemed pretty shocked when it was implied earlier," Luke said with a laugh that warmed her from within.

Lorelai shrugged. "Well, my head wasn't in this particular spot at the time." She pulled him a little closer and said, "Come here."

Luke stepped between her knees once more and lowered his lips to hers, kissing her with a longing that made her heart ache as much as it wanted to sing. She fell into the kiss, savoring the taste of him, breathing in the scent of him, running her hands over his body with undisguised ardor.

"The diner is open," Luke reminded her as she kissed her way down his neck.

"Close it."

Luke scrambled to capture her hands before she drove him completely over the edge. "We're, ugh, Lorelai…" He clasped their hands between their bodies, trapping them as they arced toward each other still. "We're not alone," he said as he looked up at the ceiling meaningfully.

"He won't come down. You guys are fighting, remember?"

"There's no door, anyone could walk in."

Lorelai smiled and ran her hands over his bare stomach, reveling in the feel of his muscles jumping beneath her soft touch. "No one will walk in."

"You don't know that," Luke whispered as he closed his eyes, lost in the sensation of her hands on him, unwilling to give up this moment.

Lorelai smiled smugly. "Don't you want me, Luke?" she asked as she pressed open mouth to his neck, letting her breath wash over him.

"God, you know I do," Luke growled. He cupped her bottom, drawing her to the edge of the countertop needing to be closer to her. "I just figured there'd be a date. Dinner, a movie, a bed, or something."

"See, now you know. Not only am I easy, I'm fairly cheap too," she teased, and then caught his ear lobe once more.

"You are neither cheap nor easy. No one knows this better than I do."

"True, so true," she breathed into his ear. "We're going to be so good together."

Luke pressed his lips to the tender skin of her throat, drawing the creamy soft flesh against his tongue. "There's hot grease, and knives and other sharp implements that I'd rather not to be exposed to without at least some clothing on."

Lorelai moaned and arched into him. "Storeroom?"

"Great idea," Luke growled as he pulled her against him roughly, his obvious arousal pressing into the thin barrier of her track pants.

"We're never gonna make it," Lorelai gasped as she reached for the bottom of his t-shirt and began to push it up over is stomach.

"This is nuts," he whispered.

"I want you. Oh, God, I want you, Luke," Lorelai said as she pushed it up over his head, trapping his arms in the tangle of shirts. "Please? I'll be your toy," she offered enticingly.

With a frustrated grunt, Luke leaned forward catching her lips and kissing her deeply, pouring his own yearning into her as Lorelai continued to work the sleeves down over his muscular arms. Once they were free, Luke's hands were on her, one cupping her face, the other pulling her closer as he pressed the length of his erection against her. He kissed her greedily as he lowered his hand, sliding it under her sweatshirt, seeking the skin he craved; needing to feel her to be sure it was all real. He brushed his hand lightly over her breast, and Lorelai smiled against his lips. She pulled away, curving into his hand as she purred, "This is gonna be good."

"Yes," Luke said gruffly as he worked the sweatshirt up over her head. Luke looked her boldly in the eye as he cupped a breast in each hand. "I told you we'd be good."

"You did," she breathed.

The bells above the door jingled loudly, causing Luke to jump away from Lorelai as her eyes widened.

"I'm goin' out!" Jess called just before the door closed loudly.

Luke exhaled loudly and Lorelai clamped her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. Luke rolled his eyes as he bent down and snagged his shirts from the floor. "Not funny," he grumbled as he separated the t-shirt from the oxford and slipped it on inside out.

"Kind of funny," Lorelai said with an apologetic shrug.

"Don't move," Luke said sternly as he hurried into the diner, flipped the sign and locked the door. When he stepped back into the kitchen he saw Lorelai Gilmore sitting on his counter without a shirt on. He ran his hand over his face and smirked as he said, "Wow, its gonna be so different whipping up the omelets in here tomorrow."

"Ya think?" Lorelai asked with a pleased smile.

"You have no shirt on," he said with a cocky smile. "Yeah, that's gonna be a good image to start off my morning," he said as he stepped between her knees once more and traced a finger along the edge of her bra. He looked down at her, tempted to count and catalogue each and every freckle, itching to lick each one, just to be sure he'd know exactly where they belonged. He swallowed hard as he raised his eyes to hers, his expression hopeful. "Um, the apartment's empty, we could go upstairs."

Lorelai shook her head slowly and said, "No, I don't think so."

Luke nodded quickly, his tongue trapped between his teeth. He stepped back and bent over again, this time retrieving her sweatshirt from the floor. "What's that for?" Lorelai asked with a frown when he tried to offer it to her.

"I thought, you, uh," Luke stammered in confusion.

Lorelai's smile widened as she said, "I said I didn't want to go upstairs." She leaned forward, bracing her hands on the edge of the counter and looking up at him coyly. "I told you that this was really doing it for me."

Luke gaped at her for a moment and then asked, "You want to have sex in my kitchen? I have a bed."

"I know, but I like it here," Lorelai said with a slight pout.

"Maybe we're going too fast," Luke said uncertainly.

"No, no!" she cried. "What happened to the Luke that was just taking my clothes off?" she asked as her hands burrowed under his t-shirt, lifting it once more.

"He came to his senses," Luke said as he tried to escape her hands.

Lorelai locked her legs around him and said desperately, "No, no senses. I like you senseless. Kiss me senseless."

"Lorelai," he groaned as she ground against him.

"I like this. I want you to picture me here," she said in a low seductive voice. "Plenty of time for beds later. When are ever going to have this chance again?" she asked as she ran her hands over his chest. "I want you now. I want to come in here tomorrow, order my breakfast and know that you're back here making it here, where we were making it," she said with a wicked grin.

"You're crazy."

"Yes, I am. Crazy for you," she said as she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his neck. She teased his skin with the tip of her tongue. "Think about it Luke. You'll always think about me here," she murmured against his skin.

"I could get shut down for this," he protested weakly.

"No one will ever know. Just me and you," she said as she reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. She dropped her arms, letting the straps slide down her arms, watching with a satisfied smile as his eyes dropped to her breasts and his breathing hitched.

"Counter's too high," he muttered under his breath as she stripped his shirt over his head once more.

"We'll figure something out," she assured him, a smile of victory curving her lips.

Luke pressed her back on hand splayed wide on her back as Lorelai braced her arms on the counter behind her, offering herself up to him. He pressed his lips to the valley between her breasts, breathing in deeply as he swatted the pesky material of her bra away. And then he was lost, his lips moving over her silken skin as he nuzzled the soft curve of each breast, teasing the pebbled tip of each one with his tongue, blowing cool air through his pursed lips and watching them furl tighter. Lorelai moaned, lifting one hand to cradle the back of his head and pull him to her. Luke opened his mouth, drawing the hardened crest into his warm mouth and laving it with his tongue reverently. Lorelai tipped her head back, murmuring soft words of appreciation and encouragement, pressing up into his mouth, urging him to take more. He suckled her hard, his other hand teasing and tormenting her other breast as she writhed on the countertop.

"We should hurry," she gasped, running her fingers through his hair, letting the fine soft curls wrap around her fingers.

"Don't wanna," he muttered as he moved to cover her other breast.

Lorelai moaned and whispered, "Okay, don't."

Luke smiled against her as he brushed his fingers teasingly over her track pants. Lorelai moaned louder as he drew her nipple deeper into his mouth. She grabbed his hand and covered it with hers, holding him to her as she circled her hips. Luke raised his head, looked up at her and then down at her hand covering his. When she opened her eyes, he smirked and said in a gravelly voice, "I've got it, Lorelai."

"Oh, sorry," she said breathlessly as she yanked her hand away.

"I'm better with a bed though, just for future reference," he teased.

"You're doing just fine," she purred.

"Gee, thanks," he answered smartly as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her track pants and tugged. Lorelai smiled at his mockingly patient expression and lifted her hips.

Luke caught her panties in his fingers and pulled them down with the pants, smiling as she gasped in surprise. "I'm almost naked in your kitchen," she teased.

"Almost," Luke said as he pulled each of her shoes off and let them fall to the floor. He stripped off her socks and then the rest of her clothes fell in a heap. "Now you're naked in my kitchen," he growled as he kissed her hard.

Lorelai smiled up at him, delighted. "Whatever are you going to do with me?" she asked coyly, covering her breasts with her hands. Luke raised his eyebrows and pulled her to the edge of the counter, running his hand along her thigh as he looked at her, his desire evident in his eyes. "Oh," Lorelai whispered through lips parted in anticipation.

Luke simply nodded and threaded his fingers through her hair as he kissed her again, parting her lips with his as his fingers brushed against her sex. "Ohhh," Lorelai groaned, soft and low into his mouth. "Oh, yeah," she whispered as he kissed his way down her neck, parting her folds and teasing her clit with the very tips of his fingers.

Luke watched as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth, circling her hips, lost in a haze of desire. "Beautiful," he whispered.

"Huh?" Lorelai asked as she blinked at him blearily.

"You're beautiful," he said a little more clearly. "So beautiful," he murmured as he pressed one finger to her entrance.

"Oh, keep talking," she exhaled.

"Never in my wildest dreams, Lorelai," Luke said softly. He lowered his eyes to watch as he thrust into her and Lorelai's followed. She wet her dry lips and pressed her hands to the countertop, lifting her hips slightly.

"Tell me, tell me," she panted.

"I've imagined you everywhere. My bed, your bed, the counter, the tables," he said raggedly. "I've had you over and over in my dreams, but nothing is as good as this. Nothing."

"Luke," she moaned.

"I knew we'd be good," he said in a stronger voice. "I knew it."

"Yes," Lorelai whispered. "No!" she groaned as he withdrew his finger and her eyes flew open in dismay.

"Yes," he said gruffly as he lowered himself in front of the counter, looking up at her as she watched him. Luke ran his hands up the insides of her thighs, parting her, watching her open for him. "Yes," he repeated as he leaned forward, pressing his mouth to her damp folds.

"Oh, yes," Lorelai agreed as she pushed herself to the very edge, granting him better access to her.

Luke dragged his tongue the length of her, teasing her entrance in a slow circle before moving up to her clit. He looked up at her from under his lashes and sighed softly against her as he drew her into his mouth and sucked gently. Lorelai let her head fall back whispering words of appreciation to the ceiling as he licked, sucked and stroked her higher and higher. At last, she gasped, "Stop, Luke stop!"

"No," Luke growled against her, pressing his fingers into her heat as he sucked her clit into his mouth once more, driving her up and over the edge.

"Oh God," Lorelai breathed. "I'm gonna, oh!" she cried as she came hard and fast. "Luke," she panted. Her fingers wound blindly through his hair as she continued to whisper his name over and over again.

"Mm hmm," he groaned against her, licking her gently, stroking her slowly as she came back down to earth.

At last, Lorelai reached for him, pulling on his shoulders to get him to stand. Luke groaned a little as he straightened his legs, and Lorelai pressed her lips to his collarbone. "Poor baby," she murmured against his skin.

"Told you, I'm better with a bed," he chuckled as he ran his hands through her hair, letting it feather against his chest, tickling his skin.

"You're incredible," Lorelai murmured as she reached for the buckle on his belt.

"No, Lorelai," he said quietly as he covered her hand with his.

Lorelai's brow puckered as she asked, "What do you mean 'no'?"

Luke shook his head and said, "This was great. Very, um, exciting, uh sexy," he continued, trying to find the right words. "You're, geez, you're amazing. I just, I don't want to, I mean, I do, but not here," he stammered.

"But, Luke," she said as she trailed her fingers along his fly, giving him a pointed look.

Luke chuckled and said, "Hell, I'm like that when you wear those jeans with the funny stitching on the pockets."

Lorelai laughed. "Oh yeah?" she asked with a pleased smile.

"Maybe not to, you know, this degree," he conceded.

"I see," Lorelai said skeptically.

Luke kissed her gently and asked, "Feel good?"

"Feel fantastic," she whispered. "You have to be a bit uncomfortable, though."

"I'm fine. Got a naked girl in my kitchen, it's a banner day," he said with a low chuckle.

"Ah, so just any naked girl would do?" she asked archly.

"Well, I am a guy, Caesar's a guy, Jess is a guy. I doubt there would be violent protests," he teased.

"Luke!" Lorelai swatted at his chest.

"Okay, maybe there would be, but they'd come from you," he said with a grin. "I want to do this right. I want to take you out. I want to make love to you in a bed," he said with an affectionately stern look. "At least, the first time," he added with a rakish smile. "After that, anything goes."

Lorelai frowned as she shook her head in disbelief. "You don't want," she paused as she glanced down.

"More than you can imagine," Luke answered as he smoothed her hair back and kissed her temple. "I'm in no hurry, Lorelai," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, warming her with his body. "I've waited this long, I can wait a little longer."

Lorelai smiled as she snuggled into his neck. "We're gonna be so good together."

"You think?" Luke asked as he smoothed his hands over her back.

After a minute, Lorelai whispered, "I should get dressed."

"Yeah," Luke agreed as he reluctantly released her. He bent to retrieve their scattered clothes and placed them in her lap as they sorted through them, exchanging small smiles, and oh-so-inadvertent touches. Luke kept her trapped on the counter as he helped with her panties and track pants, taking a few liberties with his assistance.

"Do I get to call you Butch now?" Lorelai asked as she settled her bra into place.

"Nope."

"Do I get extra pancakes?" she asked as she shimmied into her sweatshirt.

"Nope."

"Well, I know you're stingy with the link sausage," she teased.

"Hey!"

"Well, don't you think dating you should get me something?"

"I believe you just got something," he replied dryly.

Lorelai smiled and said, "I did, didn't I?" She plucked at his white t-shirt as he shrugged into the blue dress shirt again. "I think I want a toy," she said with a grin. "One I don't have to put together."

Luke smiled and continued buttoning his shirt as he leaned down and kissed her sweetly. "I know where I can score you a really sweet fake Matchbox car."

Lorelai's jaw dropped as she poked at his chest. "No re-gifting bribes!"

"How about pie?" Luke offered.

"Ooh, pie," Lorelai said as she hopped down from the counter and followed him to the door to the dining room. "I'll need my spoon back."


	6. Taking It All In

**A/N: Okay, so I omitted the 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry' phone call. Sue me. I have nothing but a dirty mind to lose.**

**Taking It All In**

"Okay, that's it. I've heard enough," Luke said angrily as he stood up. Lorelai sucked in a breath and tried not to grin as he stormed up to the front of the studio and began yanking charts from their easels.

"This is my relationship, mine! Not yours, not yours, not yours," he said as he glared at various friends and neighbors. "Yours," he added as he nodded to her, "but not yours!" He waved his arm wildly and said, "Mine and hers but not," he turned and stared at Taylor pointedly, "yours!" He shook his head and said, "There's not gonna be any more debating about whether or not it's a good idea if we're in a relationship, 'cause we're in a relationship" as he pressed his fingers to his flannel clad chest.

"Show them the horoscope!" Lorelai called encouragingly, licking her lips and grinning as she pictured all of the yummy goodness hidden beneath that flannel.

"But in the event of a breakup…" Taylor started to say.

"There's not going to be a breakup," Luke said adamantly, making her heart leap.

"Well, isn't he the optimistic fellow?" Gypsy muttered.

Luke gaped at her for a split second and then said, "Fine. In case of a breakup, I'll move. I'll close up Luke's Diner, I'll go far, far away, and that way you won't have to choose, okay? Every section in town can be pink."

"Can we have your word on that?" Taylor demanded.

"You can have my word and a couple of middle fingers on that, Taylor," Luke snarled.

Taylor turned to the woman taking notes for the meeting and said, "Get that down. We have his word. Leave out the part about the fingers." He turned back to the crowd and called, "All right, people, it seems that the issue of Gilmore and Danes vs. Stars Hollow has been resolved." Lorelai beamed as she gazed at her knight in plaid flannel and then glanced around the room proudly. She preened a bit in her seat as Taylor said, "See you all next week when everyone gets fingerprinted for the government." He banged the gavel and called, "Meeting adjourned!" as the townsfolk gathered their jackets and prepared to leave.

Lorelai draped her coat over her arm and hurried to meet Luke at the front of the room. "Wow!"

Luke chuckled and ducked his head nervously. "Yeah." He looked up and asked, "You still in?"

Lorelai grinned and reached for a fistful of that flannel. "You bet I am," she said with an emphatic nod. She pressed her lips to his and sealed the deal with a firm kiss. "Wow," she said as she pulled away, looking at him in amazement.

"Wow," Luke concurred, his lips curving into a smile. "You ready?" he asked as his hand slipped down to the sweet spot in the small of her back.

"Am I ever," Lorelai said as she sauntered to the door. She flashed him a flirty smile as they stepped outside.

Miss Patty pulled the cigarette from her lips and blew a long stream of smoke over their heads as they passed. "Lucky, lucky girl," she purred appreciatively.

"I know!" Lorelai said with a giggle. She reached behind her, grabbed Luke's hand and pulled him down the steps, a giddy smile plastered to her face as her mind whirred.

"Where are you going? I thought we were going to a movie? What about dinner?" Luke asked as she pulled him toward the diner at a determined clip.

"Nope," Lorelai said as she stepped off of the curb, her eyes fixed on the darkened windows. She couldn't believe what he just did. He jumped up and defended her, defended them, in front of the whole town. No hesitation. No hemming and hawing. He stood up there and told them all that he was with her and she was with him, and that was the way it was going to be. He'd said he was in. He was in, all in.

"Uh, was that okay? I mean, are you upset?" he asked cautiously as they crossed the street.

"No, not upset," Lorelai assured him as she stepped up onto the curb. He stood up there and gave Taylor his word. And two middle fingers. He was so sure, so confident that she was the one. He was so sure that they were right, that he stood up in front of everyone and promised to give up everything; his business, his home, his town. All for her.

"I closed down. I thought you wanted to go out," Luke said in a bewildered tone.

Lorelai trotted up the steps and then released his hand as she said, "Unlock the door." Lorelai watched as Luke pulled his key ring from his pocket with a worried frown. No man had ever been that sure of her before, she realized. The thought took her breath away. She stared at him unblinkingly as he sorted through his keys and located the correct one.

"I can't make anything down here, Lorelai," Luke said as he put the key in the lock. "Everything's shut down. I had Caesar open, remember?"

"Oh, I remember," Lorelai said in a husky voice as she watched him unlock the door.

The minute Luke closed it behind them Lorelai flipped the lock, throwing the deadbolt. Luke turned on the lights, and she flipped the switch, turning them out again. She took his warm hand in hers and a small step toward the curtain. Lorelai, being Lorelai, paused for a fraction of a second when she spotted the coffee machine, its pots empty and gleaming in the dim light he had left on over the counter. With a quick shake of her head, she started for the curtain, pulling Luke in her wake.

Jason would never have done what he did tonight. He didn't have the guts. Jason was never entirely sure of anything. Except, maybe, where he had left poor Cyrus when last seen. Or what time it was in Hong Kong or Dusseldorf or Lichtenstein.

"I think I have some stuff in the freezer. Chicken, I know," he said with a puzzled frown. He searched his memory, trying to recall if there was anything else in his apartment that she would remotely consider eating.

"Good," Lorelai said as the curtain swung back into place and she began climbing the old wooden stairs.

He'd made a commitment tonight. Well, he'd actually made one the night before, but he made it again tonight, in front of everyone, she marveled. Luke had stood in Miss Patty's studio and stated unequivocally that they were in a relationship, that he was going to be with her, and that the possibility of their relationship failing was so unimaginable to him that he would sacrifice everything if he was wrong. Christopher couldn't even commit to a telephone number, much less to her, or even his eldest daughter.

"I bought a coffee maker today, uh, for the apartment. So, you know, there wouldn't be a floor show every morning. Not that you're going to be here every morning," he rambled as he tried to keep his eyes from fixating on her butt.

Lorelai nodded as she reached the landing. She stood back and watched as he inserted his key into the apartment door and opened it. He'd bought a coffee maker for her. Luke Danes had bought a coffee maker to keep in his apartment for her. After one date, and one night, he had willingly embraced all that he hated. For her. Sure, there would be grumbling and complaining, but it wouldn't be accompanied with that annoyingly patient, 'aren't you charming and quirky,' smile that Max used to give her. No. Luke knew her. He knew her virtues and he knew her faults, and he still wanted her. He didn't want to change her. He didn't want to invade her life, her space, her home. He simply made room for her in his.

Luke closed the apartment door behind them and dropped his keys onto the shelf by the door before moving to the refrigerator. He pulled out a package of chicken breasts and said, "I can just toss these under the broiler."

Lorelai cocked her head, smiling as she realized that he still fully intended to feed her dinner. That was the difference between Luke and every other guy she had ever known. He wasn't just a guy. Luke was a man. He had commitments, and ties and responsibilities. He cared for her, took care of her. He kept her fed, jacked up on caffeine, pumped up by his unflagging belief in her, and safe in the absolute surety that he would always be there for her, no matter what they were or would be to one another. She dropped her purse and jacket onto the table and crossed to him. Without a word, she gently took the package from his hand, opened the refrigerator, and placed it back on the shelf.

"You don't want chicken? I guess we can order a pizza," he said as she closed the door and turned to look at him. Luke swallowed hard. "Did I screw up? Why aren't you talking? Lorelai, I'm sorry if I said…"

Lorelai cut him off by sliding her hands over his shoulders and kissing him softly. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked quietly.

"Tell you what?"

"That you're him," she said as she pressed her lips to his once more.

"Him who?" he asked softly.

"The guy. My guy. The guy I've been waiting for," Lorelai said, looking him in the eye. "We've wasted a lot of time, Luke."

"Am I? I want to be," he said in a hoarse voice, his dark blue eyes searching hers for the answer he craved.

"You are. You're a man. The man. My man," she whispered as she leaned in for another sweet kiss. Lorelai tangled her fingers in his hair, knocking the blue cap that she had given to him so long ago to the floor. "My man," Lorelai said in a voice filled with wonder. She kissed him passionately, fully embracing the very real possibility that this was it. He was it. They were it. This man; her friend, now lover, handyman, coffee pusher and food purveyor, was The Man.

Luke groaned as she parted her lips, her tongue touching his tentatively at first, and then enticing him in, pulling him deeper into the kiss, into her. He wanted to tell her that he was. He wanted to tell her that he would be. He wanted to promise her forever, but he was still coherent enough to know that the second date probably wasn't the right time. And then she pushed him back against the refrigerator.

"My man," she breathed again as she pressed her lips to his neck.

Her clever fingers found their way to the buttons on his shirt, worrying each one until it slipped free and then moving hurriedly to the next. Her mouth was warm and soft, her tongue danced over his skin leaving a trail of fire that seared through him. Luke pulled her to him, holding her soft, supple curves pressed firmly to the wall of solid muscle that was his chest. His hand slid from her back down to the denim covered curve of her ass. She kissed her way back up to his scruffy jaw, scraping her teeth over his stubble, sighing in appreciation as she inhaled the tangy scent of his cologne. Lorelai nipped at his earlobe, arching into him, pressing him hard against the refrigerator door as she pushed the flannel from his shoulders. The material fell to the floor in a heap as Lorelai leaned back, raking her nails over the worn cotton of his t-shirt, her eyes locked on his. "You're my man," she purred softly.

"Yes, yours," Luke answered in a deep, throaty voice.

Lorelai's lips curved into a pleased smile as she lifted the hem of his t-shirt, pressing her palms against the taut muscles in his stomach and sliding them slowly up over his chest. The shirt bunched at her wrists, and when she reached his shoulders, Luke simply raised his arms, giving himself over to her. The t-shirt didn't even hit the floor before her lips were on his again. As a matter of fact, it didn't hit the floor at all, landing instead on the corner of the fridge and cascading down the front beside his head. Her tongue circled his slowly, sensuously stroking the velvety softness of his, drinking him in as her fingers raked through his hair.

She stepped back and Luke leaned forward, reaching for her, unwilling to break the kiss. Lorelai smiled as she shook her head and gently lowered his hands to his sides, stepping out of her shoes. She opened a buttons at the cuffs of her blouse and then pulled it and the sweater vest that she wore up over her head in an impatient move. Her breasts peeked enticingly over the top of a lacy white bra, her chest rising and falling with each deep breath that she took, trying to calm her hammering heart. She pulled the elastic band from her hair, freeing her ponytail and nervously finger combing her straightened locks over her shoulders. "You can't do that," she said softly. "If I screw up, if something happens, you can't leave."

"Not gonna happen. I'm not going anywhere," Luke said, lifting one hand to reach for her.

Lorelai shook her head and took another small step back. "You can never leave, okay? Promise me. No matter how bad it is, not matter what happens between us," she said adamantly.

"I won't leave."

"The whole town can be blue, okay? I don't care. I just, I never want to picture this place without you, whether we're together or not," she said sincerely. "No running off to live in the caves above Clancy's Mill."

"Okay." Luke kept his eyes steady on hers as he shook his head imperceptibly. "It isn't going to happen. No matter what we say, or what we do, this is meant to be, Lorelai," he told her, his voice steady and calm in his conviction.

"Like fate?" she teased, cocking her head challengingly.

Luke simply nodded. "You and me, we were written in the stars. My horoscope said so."

"What?" she asked with a laugh.

Luke reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet and slid the scrap of paper from the compartment where he had carried it for eight years. "You didn't read the real one," he said as he handed it to her.

Lorelai squinted at the yellowed newsprint, and under Scorpio it read: 'Fate will give you a gift today. Will you recognize it when you see it?'

When she looked up at him, Luke shrugged and said, "I knew it was you all along. I just didn't know if it was me for you."

"Me all along," Lorelai repeated.

"I've felt this way for a long time, Lorelai," he said quietly. "I'm not going to let anything happen to ruin this. At least, I'll try not to. And even if something does, or you change your mind, it won't change anything for me. I'll still be here," he said as he gently pulled the horoscope from her fingers. Lorelai gaped at him as he slipped it back into his wallet and tossed it onto the table. He smiled at her nervously and then asked, "You scared now?"

"No," she whispered, stunned to realize that she spoke the truth. He loves her; he's all in. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked again.

"The timing was never right. The stars weren't lined up," he said with a wry smile.

"They are now," Lorelai said as she gazed into his warm blue eyes. "You're the man," she murmured as she stepped closer to him once more. Lorelai raised one hand to his cheek, and smiled as he leaned into it, rubbing his coarse stubble against her soft palm. "My man," she corrected herself as she let her hand slide down his neck to his broad shoulder, letting her fingers glide over his taut skin.

Luke watched her carefully. The lift of her chin and the steely blue determination in her eyes let him know that she was running this show. He relaxed into her touch, concentrating on the feel of her delicate fingers playing over his body and happy to let her have center stage.

Lorelai lifted her other hand and placed it gently on his chest as she leaned in and kissed him firmly, claiming him as her own. Her fingers trailed down, stroking the soft hair the covered his chest and stomach, working her way tantalizingly lower as she kissed him. Her lips slid over his, memorizing the feel of his soft skin, the taste of his warm breath, his slick smooth teeth, his questing tongue tangling with hers. She pulled his belt free from its buckle, her nimble fingers flicking open the button on his jeans and teasing the line of hair that arrowed down his stomach. She caught his sharp intake of breath and then smiled as she began to kiss her way down his neck. She nipped at his shoulder as she lowered his zipper, her fingers brushing over the straining denim.

Luke reached for the clasp of her bra and quickly released it. Without bothering to remove the garment, he cupped her breasts in each hand, pressing his hips forward, desperate for her to touch him. Lorelai pulled back, his hands falling away from her as the straps of her bra slid down her arms. She shook it free and then kissed him lightly, drawing on his bottom lip as she pulled away and bent her knees, pressing hot wet kisses to his shoulders and chest. She circled one flat nipple with the tip of her tongue while her thumb teased the other until it pebbled. Her hands grasped his waist as she lowered herself her tongue tracing intricate patterns through the soft hair on his stomach.

Luke groaned and murmured, "Lorelai," as he threaded his fingers through her hair.

Lorelai dropped to her knees in front of him, looking up at him boldly as her breath seeped through the cotton of his boxers. She blinked slowly and then reached down, pulling the laces on his boots until they unfurl and loosening them enough for him to step out of them. Luke freed his feet, running his hands through her silky hair as he watched her, his lips parted in anticipation. "Bed," he rasped.

"No," she answered as she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of his jeans.

She worked them down over his hips, dragging his boxers with them, a satisfied smile lighting her face as his erection sprang free from its confines. She pulled the tangle of his pants over his muscular thighs, pushing them down as she brushed her lips teasingly over the head of his cock.

"Lorelai," he rasped.

"Stupid pants," she muttered as she tugged at his knee to make him left his leg. Luke let her strip them off, closing his eyes as she bent to remove his socks and her hair brushed over his sensitive flesh. Once they were dispatched, she smiled up at him, her hands running possessively up his thighs. Luke's eyes widened, his heart pounding in his chest as he was caught up in that smile of pure happiness. "All mine," she purred as she pressed a chaste kiss to the swollen tip of him.

"Oh God," Luke groaned as she opened her mouth, watching as her lips, red and moist from their kisses, wrapped around him. She drew him into her warm mouth slowly, circling her tongue around him languidly as his fingers tightened in her hair. Lorelai's hands cupped his ass, pulling him away from the refrigerator, taking him deeper into her mouth as she sucked him harder.

As she steadily drew him in, devouring him, the heat of her mouth consuming him, Luke pressed his head back against the door of the fridge, fighting the urge to thrust into her. He ached for more; more of her lips, her teeth, her tongue. Lorelai squeezed his ass, her nails digging into his soft flesh as the muscles beneath tensed and flexed with barely contained restraint. She needed more of him, all of him. She drew him deeper still, sucking harder, her mouth squeezing him as his cock rippled against her tongue. Lorelai felt a warm glow of triumph rush through her, knowing that he was close, knowing that she was pushing him to the very brink. She moaned around him, the vibration from her soft sigh setting Luke aflame.

"Lorelai," he gasped. Even Luke himself wasn't sure if it was a plea to stop or a prayer that she never would. He felt his climax ripping from the very depths of him, his knees weakening as every fiber of his being rushed for that exquisite completion. "Oh, urgh," he grunted as she pulled him closer, slowing her movements as the thrust of his hips took over for her.

"Mm hmm," she purred deep in her throat, and he was lost.

Luke surged into her, his long fingers knotted in her hair as he filled her. Lorelai swallowed him, gulping him down as she continued to suck him, pulling every bit of him into her. "Oh God," Luke groaned as he loosened his grip on her hair, slumping back against the refrigerator on legs that felt like jelly.

Lorelai slowed; her demanding mouth softening as she stroked him with her lips and soothed him with her tongue. When he whispered her name again, she placed a tiny kiss to the very tip of his cock, and then flashed a brilliant smile up at him. Luke blinked rapidly, trying to focus, struggling to form a coherent thought. He looked down and homed in on her smile. That radiant, delighted smile that made him fall so many years before. "Lorelai," he rasped, holding his arms out, beckoning her to him.

Lorelai reached for those arms, wrapping her fingers around his strong forearms and allowing him to pull her to her feet. Luke enfolded her in his arms, crushing her to his chest as he buried his face in her neck. Lorelai smiled as his warm breath coursed over her skin, his chest heaving against hers as he struggled to regulate his breathing. Luke lifted his head and peppered her cheek and temple with aimless kisses of gratitude, his hand smoothing over the crown of her head and stroking her hair. "Wow," he managed to murmur with a deep chuckle.

"You okay there?" Lorelai asked teasingly.

"Much better than okay."

"See what happens when you come to town meetings with me?" she asked coyly.

"I'm in."

"Two of my three favorite words," Lorelai smiled.

"I'm all in," Luke said gruffly as he hugged her to him. He felt the rasp of her jeans against his naked body, and scowled as he loosened his hold on her.

Luke reached for the button on her pants, and Lorelai watched as he unfastened them. "You mentioned pizza?" she murmured.

"Later," he said in a deep voice filled with promise.

Lorelai smiled as he hooked his thumbs into the waistband, impatiently pushing them down over her hips. She shimmied as he shoved them down, capturing the hems under her toes and pulling her legs from them. "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?" he answered as he pulled her to him again, pressing her the length of his body.

Lorelai smiled and said, "Take me to bed or lose me forever."

Luke blinked and said, "Well, the second is definitely not an option." He walked her back a couple of steps and then bent at the waist. Lorelai yelped and then giggled as he lifted her over his shoulder.

"I've always wanted to say that," she laughed. As he stepped past the table, she gasped, "Oh! Wait!" Luke stopped and growled playfully as he turned his head and nipped at her bare bottom. Lorelai's throaty laugh filled the apartment as she grasped for her purse and freed the bag of marshmallows from its confines. "Okay, go," she said as the baggie dangled from her fingers, slapping against his fabulous ass.


	7. A Clamoring Heart

**A/N:** *Takes a deep breath* This is the chapter where the 'possibly immoral' comes into play. All of you who worship at the altar of St. Luke WhoCanDoNoWrong may want to skip this chapter. I promise, we will move on to an easier spot next time.

This one has been nagging at me. I debated long and hard about writing it because I know it will be upsetting to some. But, I can't help but wonder if Lorelai had put it out there, what would Luke have done when faced with his heart's desire at a most inopportune time? There was a moment, an undeniable moment. Before you all yell at me, I double dog dare you to tell me that you weren't hoping for a similar outcome when you watched this episode. I swiped some of the sentiments from **Chapter 4 - Lorelai Can See, um, Everything**, and dropped them in here. I just played around with it a bit…

**A Clamoring Heart**

Lorelai stepped into the church as Luke pulled the door closed behind them. "Oy! Would it kill God to dust?" Lorelai asked as she brushed the snow from her sleeves.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Okay, now just hold the flashlight, do not do any moving spotlight gags and point it at me and yell 'Freeze, drop your weapons'," he instructed as he handed the flashlight to her.

Lorelai laughed and immediately started to wave her fingers in front of the beam. "How about if I shine it on the wall and do a dirty hand puppet show?"

Luke rolled his eyes as he lugged the toolbox to the front of the church. "Just stand back so the lightning only strikes you."

Lorelai looked around as Luke placed the toolbox on a pew, took the flashlight from her hand and peered up into the bell tower. "So, what's the game plan here? Personally, I thought we could whack the bells really hard with a hammer."

"Uh, you don't break bells with a hammer," Luke said as he shot her a disparaging look.

"Okay, I'm out. What's your plan, Clyde?"

"Well, I was thinking we could just jam the turnbuckle, or wedge the main mechanism, just for fun, disconnect a few of the clappers. Contrary to popular belief you don't have to break every bell. If you just damage a couple, say the tierce and the prime, you pretty much ruin the set," he explained.

Lorelai grinned. "You must have been the top of your class at hunchback school," she said admiringly.

Luke smirked as he looked down at the flashlight in his hands. "Well, let's just say you can wait your whole life waiting for bells to fall into disrepair. Sometimes they need a push."

Lorelai gasped, "No way! You broke the bells?" she asked excitedly.

"You're welcome," he said smugly. He rooted around in the toolbox and said, "It's a little narrow up there, so we should just take the tools that we need, leave the toolbox down here."

Lorelai took the crowbar from his hand and said, "God, these things are heavy. Don't you have a smaller toolbox?"

Luke snorted. "No, why would I have two toolboxes?"

"'Cause then you'd have a big one and a small one."

"Well, if you have a big one you don't need a small one." When Lorelai opens her mouth, he shook his head, head up his hand and said, "Don't say 'dirty', it's too easy. Hold these," he said as he handed her some tools and walked back over to the steps to plot his attack.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes and watched as he walked away, "So, um, why wasn't your toolbox at your new place?" she asked, striving for a casual, curious tone.

"I needed it here," Luke answered as he stared up into the tower again.

"Huh. Usually moving requires lots of tools; hanging things, putting things together," she said leadingly.

"Nicole hired a professional picture-hanger and we didn't have anything to put together," Luke said offhandedly. "Hand me a screwdriver."

"Phillips or flathead?" When Luke looked at her in surprise, Lorelai shrugged and said, "I know things."

"Phillips," Luke said as he held his hand out.

"Luke, how come you told me you moved?" she asked pointedly.

"I did move."

"Well, you may have moved, but none of your stuff did."

"What are you talking about?" he asked impatiently as he ducked back into the room. "Uh, hand me the open-ended wrench," he ordered.

"Luke, I was in your apartment. It's exactly the same."

"No, it's not," he countered. Luke shoved the wrench and the screwdriver into his back pocket and peered up into the narrow passageway again.

"I just think it's weird you're pretending you moved when you didn't," she said suspiciously.

Luke stopped what he was doing and turned to her, nodding as he said, "I did move."

"Luke, your bed wasn't even made."

"So?"

"There were dishes in the sink, some kind of shake in the blender, Mega-Man protein powder on the counter. Remind me to mock you for that later, by the way," she added with a snort.

Luke scowled and said, "Can we talk about something else? Or better yet, let's not talk and just get this done," he added in a snide tone as he turned away from her again.

"Does Nicole think you moved?"

Luke whirled around and said, "Of course she thinks I moved, I did move."

Lorelai's eyebrows shot up as she asked, "Do you sleep there?"

"Of course I sleep there," Luke answered in a pained voice.

"When was the last time you slept there?" she persisted.

"I live there."

"So, last night?"

Luke scratched his forehead in frustration and said, "I had an early delivery and it didn't make sense to sleep there."

"The day before?" she prodded with a self congratulatory chuckle.

"I was there for dinner."

"And after dinner?"

"Nicole was getting a sore throat so it made sense to go back to my place and not get sick," he retorted, pleased that he managed to come up with a quick answer.

"Your place?" she asked archly.

"My old place," he corrected quickly, cringing inwardly at his slip.

"You didn't say your old place, you said your place," she argued.

"Well, I meant my old place," he answered dismissively.

"Luke, you don't live with Nicole," Lorelai said impatiently.

"Yes, I do," he insisted, enunciating each word carefully.

"You watch her TV, you eat her food, you keep stuff in a duffel bag at her house; you're a rude guest, not her boyfriend!"

"Husband," Luke corrected holding up a finger.

Lorelai drew in a deep calming breath and rolled her eyes as she said, "Whole other discussion."

"You know what, you're doing it again," Luke said, starting to lose his temper.

"Doing what again?" Lorelai asked snidely.

"You're passing judgment on my relationship with Nicole."

"I'm not passing judgment."

"You passed judgment on our marriage, you passed judgment on our divorce and now you're passing judgment on our living together."

"I'm not passing judgment on you living together. You're passing judgment on you living together by not living together!" Lorelai shot back, clearly agitated.

"You know, I was a little tipsy on that cruise ship, but I don't remember anyone pronouncing us husband and wife and Lorelai," he said in a snotty tone.

Lorelai shrugged and retorted, "Well, they may as well have, because I spend as much time with Nicole as you do."

"And the judgment's back!" Luke said angrily.

"I could move in with you guys. You wouldn't know," Lorelai taunted.

"You know, none of this is any of your business," Luke told her, hoping to end this frustrating discussion.

"It's absolutely my business," Lorelai said adamantly.

"How?" he cried.

"Because! I wasted a week of my life adjusting to the idea that you had moved only to find out that you haven't moved," she said, her impatience boiling over.

"How much adjusting did you have to do? Nothing's changed! I still see you everyday, I still cook your food, I still serve your coffee. What do you care?" Luke asked plaintively.

"I care," Lorelai said simply.

"Why?" he asked in a bewildered tone.

"Because I don't want you to move."

"Why? Why don't you want me to move?" Luke asked, never dreaming that, for once, she would actually give him an answer.

Lorelai pressed her lips together, shaking her head and looking up at the ceiling, fighting back the words that were trying to burst free. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to compose herself, but when she opened them again, she looked into his baffled blue eyes and blurted, "You weren't supposed to marry _her_."

"What?"

"Nicole! You weren't supposed to marry Nicole!" Lorelai said, getting upset again.

"Why not? Because you don't like her?" Luke sneered.

"No! You just weren't supposed to get married. You weren't even supposed to get engaged, remember?"

"What does it matter to you? Why do you care who I date, or who I marry for that matter?" Luke demanded.

"Not her, Luke! Anyone but her!"

"Who then? Who am I supposed to marry, Lorelai?" Luke shouted. "You know what? It doesn't matter," he said dismissively.

"Me," she cried, throwing her arms out wide.

"You?" he breathed, his jaw dropping. Lorelai clamped her mouth shut and looked away, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. Luke searched her face, trying to find what he had missed. "You? You never even looked at me, Lorelai," he said in a bewildered tone. "For years I waited, I hoped that you would, but you never did, and I couldn't wait forever."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lorelai said as she tried to brush past him.

Luke grabbed her arm to stop her. "You do too! I was right there, Lorelai, you know I was. If you had wanted me, wanted us, I was right there," he said as he pointed the flashlight emphatically at the floor. He sucked in a breath, released her arm and rubbed a frustrated hand over his face. "I couldn't wait forever." He stepped back, lifting his chin as he said, "I wanted more. I think I deserve more. You don't want me, Lorelai. You only want what you can't have."

"You're wrong," Lorelai said stubbornly.

Luke shook his head sadly and said in a hoarse voice, "No, I'm not. One word, Lorelai, one sign, anything! That's all it would have taken."

"How was I supposed to know that?" she demanded.

"You should have known!"

"You never told me. You never said anything," she spat back at him. Lorelai saw the regret and confusion in his eyes. "Are you happy, Luke? Do you have the 'more' that you deserve?" she demanded.

Luke pressed his lips together as he stared back at her. "No," he admitted softly.

Lorelai felt like her breath had been sucked from her lungs. She stared at him, clearly perplexed. Finally, she reached up, brushing her fingertips lightly over his scruffy cheek. "If you were mine, I'd make sure that you caught my colds," she said with a sad smile.

Lorelai wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, searching desperately for the right words to say to ease the tension that arced between them like a live current. When she lowered her hand, Luke caught it in his and pulled her closer. Her eyes widened as she saw him tilt his head, angling his lips toward hers as his eyelashes swept down, hiding those tormented blue eyes. The moment his lips touched hers, Lorelai relaxed into him, instinctively knowing that his was the kiss she had been waiting for. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his lips, firm and gentle, caressing hers. She moaned softly and parted her lips, and the flashlight he held hit the floor, shattering to pieces as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

The tip of his tongue touched hers, and the lightning strike he had feared became a reality, the shock of it sizzling through his veins. Luke opened his mouth, drinking her in. He pulled the hat from her head and pushed his fingers into her hair, cradling the nape of her neck, holding her steady in his quest for more. As his tongue slid against hers, seducing her with its velvety softness, Lorelai stumbled slightly. Luke caught her, holding her tighter, pressing her up against him as he propelled them both into the end of a pew.

Lorelai gasped as the hard wood bit into her back, and Luke caught it with his mouth, kissing her fervently. She tangled her fingers into the soft curls at his neck and knocked his ball cap to the floor. Lorelai arched into him, whimpering softly as the bulk of their coats created a frustrating barrier between their bodies. Luke responded immediately, unzipping his worn green jacket and then fumbling with the buttons on her coat. The heat of his body was stunning, searing her skin through their clothes as his busy mouth sucked greedily on her neck. He ran his tongue over the pulse throbbing in her throat, and then drew the soft skin into his mouth, nipping it gently with his teeth.

Her hands found their way inside of his coat, spreading over his back and pulling him hard against her. She raked her nails over the soft flannel, letting them trail down to his ass. Lorelai plucked the tools from his back pocket and dropped them to the old stone floor with a resounding clang that echoed through the church. She was oblivious to all but the feel of his mouth on hers, his body pressed into hers, the scent of him enveloping her, drowning her senses. Lorelai cupped his ass and pressed him into her, circling her hips as a moan escaped her lips. She stepped to the side and the force of his weight pushed her back into the pew. Lorelai released her hold on him and dropped to the hard wooden bench with a thud.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with shock and arousal. Luke stared back at her, his chest heaving as his brain struggled to clear the fog in his head. Lorelai reached out and tugged on his hand, and in a flash, Luke sat down next to her. He gathered her into his arms and pushing her down onto the bench with the force of his impassioned kisses. Lorelai pushed impatiently at his coat, trying to shove it over his shoulders as Luke's hand slipped under the hem of her sweater. Their kisses only deepened the moment he touched the soft skin of her stomach. Lorelai pressed one booted foot to the end of the pew, pushing herself down the length of the bench until she could stretch out fully, pulling him down on top of her.

"Oh yes," she whispered a prayer of thanks as Luke covered her breast with his hand, massaging her gently through the silky fabric of her bra. Their kisses slowed, their tongues gliding against one another's in a sensuous dance as his thumb brushed over the raised peak of her nipple. Lost in the sensations flowing through her body like warm honey, Lorelai moaned aloud, the throaty sound of it echoing off of the stained glass windows.

"Luke? Lorelai?" Reverend Skinner asked in a shocked tone.

Luke pushed himself up immediately, his hand sliding from under Lorelai's sweater as Reverend Skinner turned discretely away. "I'm sorry," he said to everyone and no one in particular. He stood up and turned toward the Reverend, blocking Lorelai from view.

"Oh my God," Lorelai gasped.

"Indeed," Reverend Skinner said with a slight chuckle, hoping to ease the tension and embarrassment that threatened to smother them all.

Lorelai pushed the heels of her boots into the bench, scooting back on the smooth old wood before swinging her feet to the floor. Her eyes wide with panic, she looked from Luke to the Reverend before she turned and fled through the opposite end of the pew.

"Lorelai!" Luke called as she ran for the door. He moved to go after her, but stopped when Reverend Skinner placed a firm hand on his chest.

"I think you should let her go," he said simply.

"But, we, I need to talk to her," Luke stammered as the front door slammed. The sound echoed through the church, chasing away the breathy sighs and sultry moans that had filled it just moments before. Luke ran his tongue over his bottom lip and then ducked his head as he bit down on it. "I'm so sorry," he said at last, not daring to look up.

The Reverend nodded slowly and said, "I believe that you are. I think we need to talk for a little bit, though. See if we can figure out exactly what it is that you're sorry for."

Luke frowned as he looked up. "What does that mean?"

Reverend Skinner tugged at his clerical collar nervously and said, "Never thought I'd be having this discussion with you, Luke."

"There doesn't need to be a discussion," Luke said quickly as he tried to step out of the pew. The Reverend blocked his path and Luke flexed his jaw, trying to rein in the emotion swirling inside of him. "Look, you don't need to tell me that this was wrong. I know that," he said impatiently.

The Reverend smiled wanly and said, "This is my job." He gestured to the pew and said, "Take a seat. Please," he added with a nod.

Luke sat down heavily on the bench and clasped his hands tightly between his knees as he hung his head. "Fine. Go ahead."

The Reverend nodded and said, "Well, I guess you figured out that the location that you chose for this little, uh, rendezvous…"

"I didn't choose it. Neither of us chose it," Luke interrupted tersely. "I'm not the most religious guy in the world, but I think even I know that doing, uh, that, in here, that's not the best idea. I just, I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously. It just happened, huh?"

"Yes!" Luke snapped as he jerked his head up.

"Well, let's skip over all of the logistics. I think you have a pretty good handle on that. I'm just happy that the church itself is still standing. I should have known that something was going on by the lightning flashing all around," he joked. When Luke looked at him with barely contained impatience, Reverend Skinner sighed and said quietly, "This was big, Luke. One of the top ten."

"Yeah, I know."

"You're married, and not to the woman you were just…"

"I know!" Luke snapped.

"You know then, that in the circles I run in, that's a pretty bad thing," the Reverend said with a sad smile.

"Yeah, me too," Luke said as he rubbed his palms together and looked away. He ran his hand over his face and then murmured to himself, "I cheated on Nicole."

The Reverend looked at him carefully and said, "Luke, you said 'I do' to a woman that you don't love, a woman that you seem to be unwilling to give yourself over to completely. You've been cheating her all along."

"Thanks for pointing that out," Luke growled.

"It's the truth. This little transgression, well, it was just proof."

When Luke didn't say anything, the Reverend sighed heavily. "Okay, we got that out of the way," he said as he reached up and began to unfasten his clerical collar. Luke turned to look at him curiously, and watched as the Reverend pulled the collar free from his shirt. "Okay, Luke, I'm just Archie now. Talk to me. What happened?"

"I don't know," Luke said as he wrung his fingers together.

"I know you, Luke. I've known you since you were a kid." He chuckled and said, "Since I was a kid, of sorts." He took a deep breath and said, "I know you've loved Lorelai for a long time." When Luke looked up sharply, he shook his head and said, "Don't try to deny it now. You would never have done something like this if you didn't love her."

"No."

"What happened tonight?"

Luke shook his head slowly and said, "She asked me to break the bells."

Archie smiled and said, "Thank God. I was wondering what was taking you so long."

Luke chuckled softly as he stared at his hands, the same hands that just a sort time ago had touched the girl of his dreams. "We were fighting. She didn't like that I was giving things another chance with Nicole. She doesn't like Nicole."

"Of course she doesn't," Archie said mildly.

"The next thing I know she's yelling at me, telling me I should have married her," Luke explained. He laughed bitterly and said, "Like I wouldn't have if I even thought it was an option." He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, opening them to stare up at the ceiling. "I married Nicole."

"Yeah, you did." Archie looked over at him steadily and asked, "Why?"

Luke shrugged and said, "I care about Nicole. I like being with her. I like not being alone. I never really thought I'd marry her," he confessed as he rolled his eyes, "but I did, and I thought I should, you know, stick it out."

"Wow, stick it out," Archie said as he raised his eyebrows.

"I made a commitment to Nicole," Luke said tersely.

"And now, Lorelai looks to be an option after all," Archie concluded for him.

Luke grimaced as he closed his eyes again. "I can't believe I did it. Married her. I can't believe I did this!" he added, getting angrier with himself. "What the hell was I thinking?"

"You were thinking that the woman you love finally let you know that she wanted to be with you too," Archie said gently.

When Luke looked at him in surprise, he laughed softly. "You know, a lot of people in my profession forget what it is to be a man, to be human. I always thought that some people think that, the minute they take their vows, they have managed to rise above all of that." He cleared his throat and said, "I decided when I was a young man that I didn't want to be like that. Our humanity is what makes us compassionate, and being compassionate, being human, makes us better for the people that God has left in our care. At least, that's what I believe." He took a deep breath and said, "As a clergyman, I should be condemning your actions tonight, but as a compassionate clergyman, I know that no one, not even the Almighty, could judge you more fiercely than you are judging yourself at this moment. I figure that the actual 'Thou-shalt-nots' are His territory to work out. I just have to make sure that you know them."

He paused for a moment. "As a man, well, a part of me wants to congratulate you on finally getting your heart's desire," he added with a self-deprecating chuckle. They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Archie asked, "What are you going to do, Luke?"

"I don't know. What can I do?" he asked as he opened his clenched fists and held his hands up helplessly.

"I think you know what you have to do," Archie prodded gently.

"Yeah," Luke whispered.

The Reverend nodded and stood up, holding his collar in his hand. He looked down at Luke and smiled tiredly. "You'll take care of the bells?" he asked at last.

"Yeah," Luke nodded.

"Good. Let me know if you need anything, okay?" he asked as he gave Luke's shoulder a firm pat.

"Yeah, thanks, and, uh, sorry," Luke said as he glanced up sheepishly.

Archie smiled and said, "When I met my wife, I knew the minute I saw her that she was the girl for me. Trust me, Luke, I would have done anything, anything, to make sure that happened. She took a little convincing, but she eventually came around. I just didn't have the complications that you have," he added with a chuckle.

"No one has the complications that I have," Luke said with a hollow laugh.

****

The following day, Luke stood in his apartment staring at the two small boxes of belongings he had hauled back from Litchfield the night before. Actually, it was early that morning. Very early. He felt weary, defeated and small as he stared at the boxes, knowing that there wasn't a damn thing in there that he actually felt was important enough to take. He only did so because Nicole insisted, telling him that she didn't want any piece of him left in _her_ townhouse.

Still, he had taken it all on the chin, knowing that it was nothing less than exactly what he deserved. The hours of talking, yelling and tears, mainly on Nicole's part, were a penance he would pay again, knowing that he had finally made the right decision. He sat quietly, answering her questions as best he could, denying nothing, and knowing deep down that it was better for her in the long run. He would never be in it enough for her.

Luke adjusted the blue ball cap on his head and walked over to the desk his father had used. Trying hard not to think about what his dad would have said if he knew what he had done the night before. He dared not think about Lorelai, or the phone calls that went unanswered the night before. Instead, Luke pulled a large manila envelope from the drawer, and turned to leave.

Thirty minutes later, he walked up Lorelai's driveway and saw the Jeep parked in its usual spot. His jaw set in determination, he marched to the steps, but the minute his boot hit the bottom one, his resolve crumbled under a mountain of doubt. Luke slowed, and then sat down on the top step. Oblivious to the biting wind, Luke turned the envelope in his hands, running his finger along the edge as he tried to summon the courage to face her.

He jumped, his shoulders tensing when he heard the door open. "Oh!" Lorelai gasped as she stepped onto the porch, purse in hand.

Luke stood up quickly, shaking the legs of his jeans down over his boots before he turned toward her. "Hey," he said quietly.

"I didn't know that you were out here," Lorelai stammered.

"I just got here."

They stared at each other for a moment, neither knowing exactly where to begin. Luke saw Lorelai glance at the envelope in his hand and held it out to her. Lorelai scanned the label affixed to the front, her eyes widening as she read, 'Blodgett, Sage, Albet, Pettruccio, Stein, Lemming, and Stein' and knew exactly what was in that envelope. She looked up at Luke, but did not reach for the envelope.

"They're my divorce papers. Signed and notarized," he said gruffly. "Well, these are copies, actually. The originals I sent overnight to the law firm."

"Luke I don't want to…" she began.

Luke shook his head quickly and said, "It's not because, I mean, I, uh, had a couple friends kind of point out the obvious last night. Even I can't ignore that," he said with a rueful little laugh. "I, um, talked to Nicole, you know, and picked up my stuff," he said as he shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet her eyes.

Lorelai's brow knit in a frown. "Luke, it was just some kissing."

Luke blinked, feeling like she had just hit him with a baseball bat. He licked his lips and swallowed hard before saying, "Yeah, well, probably shouldn't have happened anyway, you know, if things were right."

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Are you?"

Lorelai winced and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she turned away from him. She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin defiantly as she turned back, looking at him directly. "I'm sorry that you're upset. I'm sorry if I caused this."

"I caused this, Lorelai," he said as he pressed his fingers to his chest. He took a deep breath and kept his gaze steady on hers as he said, "It'll take a few weeks to be finalized. Um, Nicole has some connections that can push it through. She signed it months ago, so, anyway, it's done." He looked down at the envelope in his hand. "She agreed to keep it at 'Mental Cruelty' instead of going through it all over again to change it to 'Adultery'," he said choking on the last word. "Which was nice, I think," he added with a sardonic twist of his lips. "I don't know if what happened last night technically was adultery, but Reverend Skinner seemed to think so, so there you go," he rambled.

"Luke," Lorelai said as she took a step closer to him.

Luke shrugged helplessly and said in a raw voice, "I'd do it again, Lorelai. I think that's the worst part about it." He looked up at her, his feet riveted to that spot on her steps and said, "I know I would. If that was the only chance I ever got to be with you, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Lorelai looked down at the purse strap clutched in her hands. "I've been, uh, I'm seeing someone," she confessed.

Luke could not bite back the bitter laugh that escaped him. He shook his head slowly and then turned to look at Babette's house as he muttered, "Of course you are."

Lorelai watched the muscle in his jaw jump under the pressure of his clenched teeth. "Luke," she began softly.

Luke shook his head and raised the hand holding the envelope to wave her off. "Don't, okay? Just don't," he said brusquely.

"I have to tell him," Lorelai went on in a rush. "I just don't know what I'm gonna say. I could use the old, 'It's not you, it's me,' 'cause in this case, it is true, but that seems a little trite, and I doubt that Jason will actually see the humor in it, even if he does have a really twisted sense of humor," she said in a rush. "I could just say, 'Gee, I like you, and we've had some fun, but I kissed one of my best friends last night, oh, and he's married, so now I have to wait for his divorce to go through,' but that seems like a tad bit too much information." Lorelai glanced down at the envelope and asked, "I don't suppose you'd be okay with me just dating Jason until that's final," she mused. When Luke shook his head mutely, Lorelai nodded and said, "I didn't think so."

"You're breaking up with him," Luke said at last.

"Yeah, I think that would be best," Lorelai said as she nodded furiously. "I was just going to, uh, meet him at this coffee place."

Luke finally lifted one foot to the next step and pushed up. "So, when this is done, and that's over," he said slowly as he watched Lorelai take another step closer to him.

"I'm giving you forty-eight hours from the time that is finalized to ask me out. If you fail to do so, I will throw myself at Al from Pancake World," she said with a shaky smile.

"Forty-eight hours," Luke repeated as he moved up to the top step.

"I thought it would be best if you had a deadline this time," Lorelai said solemnly.

"Probably a good idea," Luke said, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile.

Lorelai caught herself leaning toward him and shook her head slightly. "I think we should also keep a little distance," she whispered.

Luke stared into her eyes as he took a deep breath and then said, "That might be a good idea too."

"I have to go," Lorelai said quietly as she gestured to the Jeep.

Luke nodded and leaned against the wobbly porch rail as he turned to let her pass. When she glanced back at him over her shoulder, Luke smiled and ducked his head shyly. "Will I see you?" he asked as she stepped off the bottom step.

"More than likely," Lorelai answered with a smile. She made her way down the path a bit before she turned and walked backward toward the Jeep. "You still pour my coffee, remember?"

"That's right. Nothing has changed," Luke answered with a nod as he turned to watch her go.

Lorelai bumped into the Jeep and then giggled self consciously as she reached for the door handle. She left the door open as she settled herself in the driver's seat, and then turned to look at him as he stepped off onto snow covered walk. "Hey Luke?" she called.

"Yeah."

"Everything has changed," she said with a small shrug.

"Yeah," he agreed.

Lorelai smiled as she reached for the door handle. "Start chugging that Mega Man. You're gonna need your strength," she called and then closed the door with a satisfying clunk.

Luke snorted and muttered, "Gonna need a new can," as he cut across the yard, raising his hand in a slight wave as she backed down the driveway. Luke watched her go, and for the first time since he kissed her the night before, the clangor in his chest muted to a dull roar. He breathed in the crisp winter air and exhaled slowly, basking in the relief of a heart that wasn't clamoring to burst forth at any moment. Luke tucked the envelope under his arm and shoved his hands deep into his pockets as he ducked his head against the stiff winter wind and made his way home.


	8. That Damn Lucas Danes

**A/N: What could have happened if Luke never made it to the trash can. I'm just sayin'…it's possible…**

**That Damn Lucas Danes**

Lorelai was fuming. She wrapped her arms tightly around her torso, ducked her head and walked quickly home as she muttered, "What the hell is his problem?" This wasn't the first time this had happened. He had almost kissed her a few times before. _But this time was so close! How could he not do it? How could it have been any more obvious?_ "Dammit," she grunted. _How could he do that? Him with the stupid hat and the flannel. That blue flannel that did incredible things to his eyes. And sitting there, all scruffy and sexy. With that raspy, soft, deep voice! _ She stomped her way up the driveway, kicking a rock with the toe of her shoe every five or six feet. _Stupid Luke with his stupid beer and, and, eyes! Stupid Luke smelling like cheeseburgers and was that cologne? Aftershave? Stupid, stupid Luke with the stupid smile that made her go all gooey melty inside. I should have just planted one on him! What would he have done then, huh? I should have just grabbed a fistful of him and kissed him silly. Nails, assorted sizes. I should have nailed him right then and there, would've served him right! Kiss tease! He's lucky I didn't take one of those three hammers to his big thick skull! Ooh, bit thick biceps. _As Lorelai hit the porch, her feet slowed. _Why? Why won't he kiss me? I think he wants to. Oh my God!_ she thought, her eyes opening wide. Lorelai held her hand in front of her mouth. She breathed out and then sniffed loudly, checking her breath. _I didn't have onions. Maybe it's the combo of the coffee and the beer, _shethought as she chewed the inside of her cheek._ Stupid Luke, damn him for not kissing me. Or at least telling me that I needed an Altoid._

With that, Lorelai's mad ran out of steam. She opened the front door; her shoulders slumped dejectedly as she closed it quietly behind her. She trudged into the living room and then stopped short as she saw the notebook Rory had left on the coffee table outlining Stella's care and feeding. With a heavy sigh, Lorelai shook the memory of Luke's hard bicep under her fingers and turned resolutely toward the kitchen. When she saw the empty cage sitting on the table her heart dropped to her feet. She sucked in a breath and tipped her head back, unleashing the evening's frustrations as she yelled, "Stelllllllla!"

Lorelai turned cautiously, her hands spread to her sides, prepared for capture. "Oh, no, no, no. Okay, Stella, do something. Show yourself; molt or chirp or something." She turned and walked back into the living room as she muttered, "Oh this is so not funny. Not funny, not funny." Lorelai lifted a couple of throw pillows, hoping that Stella was just giving in to her nesting instinct. When she came up empty, she murmured, "Oh, this is so unbelievable! All day long, just chirps like a maniac at the top of her lungs, now, nothing. Silence. Marcel Marceau chicken," she added in frustration. "Okay, that's okay. I can fix this. We can fix this," she said as she headed for the phone.

Lorelai pulled it from the cradle and automatically started dialing the number she called whenever something needed fixing. "I'm going to make this better. I'm going to fix… Hello?" she said frantically.

"Yeah," Luke said as he tucked the phone under his chin.

"Luke? Stella got out and I don't know, do I put seed on the floor? Do I make cheeping sounds? Or do I pull a Lucy Ricardo and walk like a chicken so she thinks I'm her mother?" Lorelai asked in a rush.

"Who the hell is this?" Luke asked with a scowl.

Lorelai rolled her eyes, fed up with his dense diner man routine. "What do you mean who is this? It's Lorelai. Who else would call you looking for her baby chick?"

"You're right. I'm the idiot. Go on."

"Could you come over here, please, and help me?" she asked plaintively.

Luke blinked in surprise, his mind still fixated on the moment they had shared behind the counter just a short time before. "Uh, yeah, Okay. I'll be right over," he promised.

Lorelai nodded as her eyes scanned the room. "Okay, hurry!" She hung up the phone and began systematically tearing apart the house in search of case study number twelve.

Luke placed the receiver gently on its cradle and stared at the phone blankly for a moment, replaying the call in his head. At last, his eyebrows shot up and he turned to go get his coat from the back hall. He shrugged into the down vest and pulled his keys from his pocket as he hurried for the door, his mind outpacing his feet by a mile.

As he started walking toward her house, a small smug smile curved his lips_. A chicken? She couldn't come up with a more plausible excuse than a chicken loose in her house? Oh well, it didn't matter, she called._ Luke's mind focused on the image of her upturned face just centimeters from his. _No, he hadn't imagined it. There was a moment there, a moment where Lorelai Gilmore had wanted you to kiss her. And now she had called and demanded that you come over. And kiss her he would. _"A chick," he chuckled as he hurried toward her house. _What about a mouse or even a raccoon or squirrel. That would have been less obvious, _he thought with a smirk.

_This time, I'll be ready. This time I won't hesitate. I'm gonna kiss Lorelai Gilmore until she's speechless,_ he told himself. _Cool. Gotta play it cool. Don't be too eager. Smooth. You need to be smooth about this,_ he schooled his thoughts as he crossed her yard. Luke stopped at the foot of her steps, taking in a deep breath of the crisp cold air, hoping that it would wake him from this daze, praying that he would be able to carry it off. Finally, he climbed the steps and lifted his clenched fist to rap on her door.

Lorelai had worked her way back into the living room, heartened by a glimpse of fluffy feathers, and the chase continued until there was a knock on the door. Lorelai hurried to answer it. "Thank God. Get in here," she said breathlessly. She grabbed Luke by his collar and physically pulled him into the house, trying to ignore the warmth radiating from his chest.

"This place is a disaster. What's going on?" Luke asked as he surveyed the room.

Lorelai reached behind her, taking him by the wrist as she led him into the living room. "Okay, the last sighting was here, by the _InStyle_ magazine. But then she burrowed through the _Glamour_ and jumped over the _Cosmo_ and knocked over a brand new bottle of nail polish so all I can tell you is if there was any doubt that this chick was a girl, well, there isn't anymore," Luke smiled and crossed his arms over his chest smugly as she babbled.

They both froze at the sound of a loud cheep, and Lorelai turned toward in that direction. "Okay, there she is!" she cried as she took off after the runaway bird.

"Jeez, what was that?" Luke asked curiously as he followed close behind.

"Stella! Stella!" Lorelai called in vain.

"You really do have a chick loose in here," Luke murmured as his eyebrows shot up and they squatted down next to the couch.

Lorelai blew out an impatient breath and said, "Yeah, I told you I had a chick loose in here. There she goes! By the kitchen!"

As they took off in hot pursuit after her, Lorelai cautioned Luke, "Don't step on her!"

Luke gestured to the floor and said, "She cut right in front of me!"

"Okay, well she's being graded so let's not squash her."

"Well then tell her to watch where she's going," Luke muttered as she pushed him into the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, Lorelai sat on the couch pouting. "I swear, she went over there," she said as she nodded to the corner.

"We looked over there," Luke pointed out as he poked around the room peering into corners with a flashlight.

"Well, she went under that chair and she didn't come out."

"We moved the chair, we searched the floor, nothing."

"Well then she went under the chair and through a hole in the floor," Lorelai argued.

"There is no hole in the floor," Luke said tersely.

"Well maybe there was a hole in the floor and she crawled through it and fixed it."

"So she's s super intelligent chick with great physical and deductive skills?" Luke asked sarcastically.

"Yes."

"Oh, this is not a chick I want to find," Luke muttered under his breath.

Lorelai looked up and watched as he bent down and looked up in the chimney, admiring the way his jeans pull taut across what was undeniably and fabulous butt. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, picking at her nail polish with her thumb as she decided to just go for it. "Hey, Luke, what did you mean earlier?"

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked as he moved around the room, checking spots they had already check ten times before.

"When you got here. You made some comment about me not really having a chick in the house," Lorelai said as she watched him carefully.

Luke paused for a second, but only grunted, "Hmm," before moving on to the next spot.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "I mean, if I didn't have a chick here, why did you think I was calling?" she asked leadingly.

"No, I thought you were calling about the chick," Luke corrected with a quick shake of his head.

"It didn't seem like it."

"Well maybe it didn't seem like it but it was," he retorted.

"Was what?" Lorelai countered, hoping to confuse him into a confession.

"Was what I thought," Luke said as he waved his hand dismissively. "Can we just keep looking?"

"Okay. I just still think that…" Lorelai started to say.

"There she is!" Luke said as he pointed to the opposite side of the room.

"Where?"

"There!" Luke lunged for the bird, and Lorelai heard a loud crash behind her.

"Careful," she said with a wince.

"Got her," Luke called over his shoulder, his hands cupped over the baby bird he had cornered.

"You do?" Lorelai asked excitedly as she launched herself from the couch. "Don't hurt her."

"I'm not hurting her," Luke growled. "Get the cage."

"Here, give her to me," Lorelai said as she knelt down next to him and began to wriggle her fingers under his.

Luke turned his head, and for the second time that night found himself within kissing distance of Lorelai Gilmore. Her perfume was light and flowery, her hair smelled like coconuts as it swung over her shoulder, shrouding her face. He swallowed hard, praying that she would turn her face toward him. _This time he wouldn't be so shocked. This time he wouldn't move too slowly. This time he would forget about breathing and just react. He was ready. This was it. Turn, Lorelai, turn,_ he implored silently.

Instead, Lorelai leaned back on her heels, cradling the baby chick to her chest as she held her in a firm, but gentle grasp. "I'm thinking that I'm gonna have to rename you Blanche if you keep running off like that," she said with a smile. "Don't do that again."

Luke watched as she rolled to her feet and started toward the kitchen. He got up off of the floor and followed her, automatically reaching into her broom closet for a dustpan and a trash bag.

Lorelai opened the cage, deposited the chick, and closed the door firmly, double checking to be sure it was latched. "She's never going anywhere ever again. I'm thinking of slipping some super glue on the bottom of the cage. That would be bad, right? I mean, I know staples are bad but what's the verdict on super glue?" she asked as she bent down and peered at the little bird.

"Ask Stella," Luke said as he moved past her with the broom in hand. He began to sweep pieces of her lemon lamp into the dustpan and then dumped them into the trash bag.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Lorelai said as she reached for the bag.

"I've got it," Luke said as he swept up a few more pieces.

Lorelai held the bag open as Luke deposited the shards of her lamp into it with an apologetic grimace. "So, you never really answered me," she said suspiciously.

"Answered you about what?" Luke asked distractedly as he brushed the last of the pieces into the dustpan.

"About what you thought I was calling you over here for," Lorelai answered, her eyes focused intently on him.

"We may want to get another bag and double it. There're a lot of sharp pieces in there."

"Luke!" Lorelai cried in frustration. Blushing as she realized that she had actually stomped her foot a little.

"What? You might cut yourself, or Rory could," he said as he straightened up.

"You were going to kiss me tonight," she said bluntly.

_Twice!_ his brain screamed. _You should have turned your head. I was ready the second time!_ "What?" he asked. Luke averted his eyes, hoping he could carry off the sneer of disbelief he was trying to convey.

"Earlier, in the diner, you wanted to kiss me," Lorelai asserted.

"You're cracked," Luke said with a snort and brushed past her with the broom and dustpan in hand.

"And you're a coward," Lorelai said as she followed him into the kitchen.

Luke shoved the broom into the closet and whirled around. "Did you want me to kiss you?" he demanded.

Lorelai paused for a moment, trying to figure out how he had managed to turn the tables on her. "That's not the question!"

"What was the question?" Luke countered.

"No! No deflecting! You don't get to play that game with me, I invented it!" Lorelai said as she jabbed a finger into her chest.

"I'm not playing any game, Lorelai, I'm just trying to figure out what the hell you're talking about," Luke said as he walked past her once more, heading for the front door.

Lorelai dropped the trash bag holding the remainders of her lemon lamp and spun on her heel. She caught up to him in the foyer, grabbed his arm and jerked back with all of her strength, forcing him to look at her. "Why do you never do it? Why? There have been so many times, Luke. I've given you opening after opening," she said stubbornly. "What? Sometimes I think you just don't find me attractive, but then you look at me like you looked at me tonight, and, and, I don't know!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air. Luke stared at her open-mouthed, his brain racing trying to catch up. "Don't look at me like that, Luke. It's not fair. You can't look at me like that."

"I can't help it," he said without thinking.

"What does that mean?"

"I think you're beautiful," he confessed in a deep husky voice.

"You do?"

Luke nodded and said, "Yeah. And I do want to kiss you. More than you can imagine."

They stared at each other for a moment, and then Lorelai blew out an exasperated breath. "You see, this would be one of those openings," she said as she gave him a pointed look.

"Oh. Oh!" Luke said as it finally all clicked into place. He snaked an arm out and pulled her closer. "I've got it now," he said as he lowered his lips to hers.

"Finally," Lorelai breathed against his mouth.

Luke cut off her complaints by pressing his lips firmly to hers. He pulled back slightly, shook his head and said, "Let me try that again." This time, his lips caressed hers, molding to them and tasting her lingeringly.

"So much better," Lorelai whispered as he pulled away.

"I was nervous," Luke admitted. "And I wanted to shut you up."

"You are scoring some big points now, mister," Lorelai teased as she brushed her fingers through his curls, pushing his hair back over his ear. She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him back down. She brushed her lips over his and said, "Give it another shot."

This time when his softly parted lips touched hers, Luke captured her bottom lip between them, giving it a gentle tug. Lorelai hummed deep in her throat and parted her lisp slightly. Luke ran the tip of his tongue along her bottom lip and that hum turned into a soft moan. He pulled back slightly and whispered in a husky voice, "I changed my mind; I don't want you to shut up." He kissed her again, parting her lips with his tongue and groaning in appreciation as her tongue met his and a jolt of electricity shot through him. The kiss went on unbroken as they tasted each other, exploring tentatively at first, but becoming increasingly bold with each caress. Luke cradled the back of her head in his hand, his fingers curling rhythmically into her hair as the kiss deepened.

Lorelai slipped a hand between them, her fingers grasping the zipper on his vest and pulling it down. She parted the material and slipped her hands inside, wrapping her arms tightly around him and pressing her body to his. Luke pressed one hand into the center of her back, holding her to him as he angled his head, taking the kiss deeper still as he began to walk her toward the couch. Lorelai moved her hands to his chest, pressing them between them as she sought the buttons on his flannel. "So blue," she gasped as their lips parted and Luke began to rain hungry kisses on her neck and throat.

"What?" he mumbled.

"Your eyes, oh!" she gasped as the back of her knees hit the coffee table and went out from under her. She landed on the table wide eyed with shock and her arm arcing out to catch herself, sending magazines, notebooks and colored markers flying.

"Uh, sorry," Luke said as he reached down, grasped her arms and pulled her back up and into his. "Sorry," he mumbled again as he lowered his lips to hers and began to kiss away her indignation.

"Smooth," she gasped between kisses.

"That's me," Luke said with a self-deprecating smile.

"Couch is over here," Lorelai reminded him as she grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt and started to pull him around the table.

By the time they made it to the couch, Luke had it, and her, well in hand again. He turned, pulling her down onto the couch with him. He landed on his back, a cushion forcing the bill of his blue ball cap up and off of his head. Lorelai brushed it aside and immediately plunged both hands into his fine soft hair. She kissed him heatedly as his hands roamed over her back, finally making their way down to the snug denim that molded to her perfect ass. He pressed her down onto him, his tongue plundering her mouth as she began to undulate against his obvious arousal.

Lorelai caught his ragged breaths with her mouth, drawing his lower lip into her mouth as she pushed up on her hands, tugging on it and then smiling as she sat back and looked down at him. Luke was mesmerized as he took in her red lips, swollen from his kisses, and her pink cheeks, flushed with arousal and faint traces of razor burn. He reached up, tracing the curve of one cheek with his finger. Lorelai shivered slightly, her bright eyes darkening with desire she saw reflected in the depths of his.

"Sorry," he murmured as he gently stroked her delicate skin.

"I'm not."

Luke lips curved into a smile as he confessed, "I'm not really, either."

He watched as her smile blossomed, lighting her eyes and curving her soft cheek beneath his fingertip. "Liar," she whispered.

"Yes."

"What else have you lied to me about," Lorelai asked with an impish smile as she reached for the buttons on his flannel.

Luke's expression turned serious as his gaze stayed locked on her. "I don't want to be just your friend," he said in a low rumble.

"I think we've crossed that line already," Lorelai pointed out as she freed the second button.

Luke shook his head and said, "I want more than a few kisses."

"Oh, me too," Lorelai replied with a sultry smile.

Luke frowned wondering if this was just her idea of a booty call. "I don't just want to get in your bed."

"How about my couch?"

"Lorelai, I'm serious," he said firmly. When her fingers stilled on the fourth button, he said, "I'm serious about this. About us. About you."

"About me?"

"Yes. I want to be with you," he said simply. "I want to be a part of your life."

"You are with me, you are a part of my life, a big part," she said with a perplexed frown.

"I want a relationship with you, Lorelai," he said plainly. "A real relationship. You, me, Rory, lost chicks, lamps shaped like lemons," he said in a softer tone.

"Oh," Lorelai said quietly.

Luke's eyes dropped to the spot where her hands had stilled on his stomach. "Maybe you, uh…" He swallowed hard and said, "You might not want that. With me, I mean. But, um, that's what I want," he finished lamely.

Lorelai nodded as she let his words sink in. Her mind raced, images of Luke coming to their rescue over and over again through the years, flashes of his smile, memories his flirty comments delivered in a low, gruff voice, and the knowledge of her silent gratitude for that steady, calm feeling she got whenever she spilled her guts out to him over a steaming cup of coffee. And now, she'd have to add those steaming hot kisses, the taste of his lips, the scent of his neck, and the feel of his strong, solid body to that list she realized. She toyed absently with the button as she processed it all.

A blush rose in her cheeks as her eyes dropped to the tiny plastic disc caught between her fingers. "All that, and the couch?" she asked quietly.

"Or your bed," he answered with a nervous twitch of his lips. "Or mine."

Lorelai nodded slowly, still staring at the button. "Okay," she whispered.

"Okay?"

Lorelai nodded a little faster and looked up at him and said, "That's good. I want that too."

Luke sat up, banding his arms around her and squeezing her tightly as his lips crashed into hers, taking possession of her and claiming her as his own. Their tongues danced over one another's; giving and taking, seeking and teasing, caressing and stroking each other in a frenzy of needs acknowledged. Luke's hands moved to her hips and pressed her down on him. He groaned deeply, setting her afire as she pushed at his shoulders, breaking the kiss.

Luke looked up at her, his lips parted as he struggled for air. Lorelai slid her hands appreciatively over his back as she gathered fistfuls of flannel and tugged hard, freeing his t-shirt from the waistband of his jeans. She pulled, pushed and yanked the layers of fabric, working them up between them and urging him to raise his hands. Luke complied, but as she whisked the shirts over his head, he asked, "Where's Rory?"

"Babette's," Lorelai answered, giving him a forceful shove back onto the couch.

Luke fell back, bumping his head hard on the arm and grimacing. "We shouldn't…" he began.

"We should. We definitely should," Lorelai said with a feline smile as she ran her hands over his chest. Her fingertips skimmed his nipples and she flattened her palms against the muscles of his stomach as they quivered and jumped under her touch. "God, you're gorgeous," she said breathlessly.

Luke chuckled softly and said, "No, that's you."

"All big and hard and hot," she murmured as her hands continued to glide over his skin. She smiled to herself and said, "Dirty, so dirty." Lorelai looked up and met his dark blue gaze as she said, "I'm going to do dirty things with you."

"God, I hope so," Luke managed to growl.

Lorelai bent down, pressing her lips to his adam's apple and smiling as it bobbed. "So many dirty things I want to do with you," she murmured as she kissed her way down his throat. "The best part of this, uh, relationship?" she asked as she glanced up at him to see if he was paying attention. When he gave her a slight nod, Lorelai traced a line of fire down his chest with her tongue, her hair tickling his skin as she worked her way lower. She paused, looking up at him as her lips hovered over him. "I can do dirty things to you, and you can do dirty things to me." Lorelai flicked her tongue into his navel and was rewarded with a deep groan. She smiled, her eyes dropping to the buckle on his belt. "And then, I can badger you about paint colors while you grumble and pour my coffee," she said with a satisfied smile.

"That's good?" Luke asked as released the breath he hadn't realized his was holding.

"So good. It's you and me but even better," Lorelai said with a nod.

"That's very good," Luke agreed. He watched as she pulled at the tab of his belt, and swallowed hard, hoping he had the strength to stop her. "Lorelai, uh, what if Rory comes home?" he asked worriedly.

Lorelai looked up with a confused frown and said, "Rory's not coming home. She's staying the night with Apricot while Babette and Morey are out of town."

"Apricot?"

"Kitten," Lorelai said with a nod.

That was all Luke needed to know. He sat up, pushing Lorelai back to the opposite end of the couch with the force of his kiss. They wriggled their legs out from under them as they kissed heatedly, secure in the knowledge that they were all alone. "Bed," Luke growled.

"Couch," Lorelai countered.

"Shirt," he grunted as he pulled her shirt up roughly.

"Gone," Lorelai breathed as she raised her arms and let him strip it from her. The shirt sailed across the room and had not even hit the ground before his nimble fingers had found the clasp of her bra. He released it without fumble and pulled the straps down her arms, leaning back to watch as he peeled the lacy fabric from her skin.

"Beautiful," he murmured as he tossed the bra aside and slid down between her legs, pressing hot open mouthed kisses down the side of her neck. Lorelai arched against him, waiting for him to touch her, wanting his hands to claim her, needing him to take what she was offering to him wholeheartedly. Luke didn't need any encouragement. He kissed his way to the hollow of her throat and then pulled away. His blue eyes smoldered, cloudy with desire as he catalogued every freckle, the creamy white curve of her breasts, and the rosy pink tips that begged for his attention. "So beautiful," he whispered as he lowered his head.

He traced those tantalizing freckles, his tongue meandering lazily from one to the next with deliberate care. The tips of her breasts brushed against the soft hair that covered his chest and Lorelai moaned, her fingers tangling in his curls as she urged him lower. Luke took his time, brushing feather soft kisses along the tops of her breasts, pressing his wet open mouth to the valley between them as he drank in her scent. He nuzzled the soft underside of one breast, smiling as he could feel her frustration rise palpably. He looked up at her, watching her as she watched him. His breath washing warm and soft over her beaded nipple and a strangled moan escaped her lips as it tightened further. Without taking his eyes from hers, Luke parted his lips and lowered them.

He was beyond the sweet, gentle kisses he had always envisioned, forgotten were the achingly tender dreams in which he loved her slowly, savoring every moment. In their place, there was only white hot need coursing through his veins. He drew her into his mouth, circling the tight bud with his warm tongue and soothing it before drawing on it ardently. Lorelai gasped and clutched the back of his head, lifting up off of the couch as she pressed into him, giving herself over to his demands. He suckled her, his eyes closing as his hand sought her other breast, gently tracing it with his fingers before molding the soft mound to his palm.

"Clothes off," Lorelai gasped.

"Bed," Luke grunted as he moved to her other breast, covering the damp skin of the one he had just relinquished with his warm hand.

"Couch. Now," Lorelai said adamantly. She lifted her hips, shamelessly pressing her denim clad sex to his chest wantonly. "Up. Get up," she ordered.

"Already there," Luke grumbled as he pushed up from the couch and then towered over her, offering his hand to help her up. Lorelai stood up and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him closely and reveling in the feel of his skin against hers. She allowed them a moment to take it all in, and then stepped back, reaching for his belt again.

"Take these off," she muttered as she worked on his belt. "Hurry."

Luke brushed her hands away and reached for the buckle himself. He quickly opened his jeans and then paused, giving her a pointed look as she stood immobile. "Do you want to go upstairs?" he asked.

Lorelai snapped out of her daze, quickly fumbling with the button on her jeans as she shook her head. "I want to stay here," she said as she unzipped her pants and began shoving them down over her hips. Luke blinked in surprise as he saw her drag her panties off with them, leaving her bare as she bent to free her feet. Lorelai looked up as she kicked the clothes aside, her cheeks coloring as she caught his intent stare. "What?" she asked self consciously.

Luke licked his suddenly dry lips and shook his head. "Nothing. Uh…" his train of thought derailed as she straightened up, lifting her chin defiantly.

The sight of Lorelai standing completely bare in front of him hit him like a ton of bricks. He pulled her to him and kissed her hard and hot, his tongue urgently seeking hers as he tried desperately to convey what he was feeling. When he moved to her neck once more, Lorelai smiled as she tipped her head back, granting him better access.

"You like?" she asked breathlessly.

"Love," he corrected, murmuring the word against her skin as he sank to his knees in front of her. Luke held her steady, his hands on the curve of her hips, his fingers brushing lightly over the curve of her soft bottom. "Gorgeous," he said in a soft reverent tone as he pressed his mouth to her stomach.

"That was my word," she said with a smile.

"Just borrowing it," Luke assured her as he trailed kisses down her stomach. He leaned back, resting on his heels as he nuzzled the dark curls that covered her sex.

"Luke," Lorelai whispered, running her hand through his hair.

"Lorelai," he breathed as he pressed his lips to those soft curls, letting his breath wash over her.

Lorelai moaned and parted her legs a bit, her nails raking over his scalp as he sank lower still. Luke touched the tip of his tongue to the swollen nub of flesh that peeked from those damp curls and groaned loudly as he tasted her. He pressed his mouth to her, parting her with his tongue and lapping gently at the juices that flowed from her. "Oh God," he murmured as he pressed into her, raking his tongue the length of her glistening pink folds.

"Oh God," Lorelai gasped, her hands dropping to his shoulders, looking for purchase. Luke's tongue slid over her heated flesh, drinking her in, inhaling her intoxicating scent as he drew her clit into his mouth. Lorelai circled her hips, prolonging each caress of his lips and tongue, panting softly above him. "I wanna be with you," she whispered. Undeterred, Luke slipped one finger into her heat, testing her as he tasted her, knowing that he could be satisfied just to satisfy her. Lorelai's breath caught in her throat and she tugged lightly at the back of his neck. "Luke, please."

With a soft sigh of regret, Luke leaned back and allowed her to pull him to his feet. "I wasn't done," he complained.

"Another minute and I would have been," she told him archly as she began to shove at the waistband of his jeans. "I showed you mine, now you have to show me yours. That's how this wo… whoa," she breathed as Luke shoved his jeans and boxers down over his hips, releasing his erection. Lorelai immediately reached for him, curling her fingers around his thick shaft, and trailing the entire length of him. "Oh my."

Luke grasped her wrist and lifted her hand, placing a gentle kiss to her knuckles as he took a small step back and began to remove the remainder of his clothing. When he bent to wrangle with the laces on his boots, Lorelai gave his shoulders a shoved, knocking him off balance. He landed on the couch with an 'oof!', and looked up at her incredulous.

"Now, that, was smooth," Lorelai said with a happy grin as she knelt and began to untie his boots. She pulled his shoes and socks from his feet and the removed the jeans and boxers that hobbled him. When she was done, she smiled and said, "There. Better?" Luke stared at her kneeling on the floor in front of him unflinchingly, afraid that if he reached for her, he'd grab her and do something inappropriate. He nodded slightly, and Lorelai smirked as she placed a hand on each of his knees and pushed herself up. "I can read your mind. That was dirty," she admonished.

Luke's eyes widened and he cleared his throat. "Nuh uh."

Lorelai gave him a slow smile and promised, "Next time," as she climbed up onto the couch and straddled his legs. She pressed her palms to the back of the couch and sighed contentedly as Luke leaned forward, his lips unerringly finding her taut nipple. Lorelai chewed her lip, allowing them both a moment as she closed her eyes and gave in to the gentle pulls of his mouth. She parted her knees and slid down a little, pulling from his reach as she grasped the steel shaft of his cock firmly, guiding him to her. She stroked him lightly, letting her fingers play over his length as she paused with him poised at her entrance.

Luke groaned as the head of his cock parted her folds. Lorelai hummed in agreement as she began to sink down onto him. She took him in slowly, allowing her walls to expand to accommodate him. Once they were fully joined, Lorelai stopped, looking down at Luke as she moved her hands from the couch to his shoulders. Luke's dark eyelashes swept up and he met her gaze with navy blue eyes filled with wonder and arousal. She held herself still as she whispered, "Damn."

Luke's lips twitched as he reached up and ran his fingertips from the nape of her neck, tracing the line of her spine down to her tailbone. "Damn," he agreed in a hoarse whisper.

Lorelai began to move slowly, raising herself up and lowering herself down with deliberate care, circling her hips as she ground into the base of his cock. Luke groaned as he cupped her bottom in his hands, guiding her the length of his pulsing erection and pushing ups against her with the completion of each stroke. Soon Lorelai began to move faster, tipping her head back as she rode him with abandon. Luke's fingers curled into the soft skin of her ass as he raised his other hand to tangle in her soft hair.

"Luke," Lorelai warned as she leaned into him, desperate to get closer still. Luke's hand curved around the curve of her neck, pressing down on her shoulder with each thrust, grunting as he surged up into her wet heat. "Oh!" Lorelai cried as her orgasm uncoiled inside of her. The ball of need in her gut exploded sending shockwaves of pleasure rippling through her. Her walls clenched and tightened around him as she slowed, riding each wave of pleasure wildly. She felt Luke's fingers digging into her skin and another wave of heat engulfed them as he filled her hard and hot, shooting into her very core.

Lorelai slowed, still clinging to his shoulders to steady herself as Luke encircled her with his arms, burying her face in her soft, fragrant hair. He pressed soft kisses to her hair and neck, holding her tight. "Lorelai," he whispered at last.

Lorelai blinked as she tried to get her mind in gear. "Damn you, Luke Danes," she whispered at last.

"Damn me?"

"Yes," she sighed as she pressed her nose into his neck.

"What'd I do?"

"Nothing. Everything. Take me to bed," she murmured softly.

"If I'm damned is that hell?" Luke chuckled.

"Yes," she answered.

Luke's lips quirked as he smoothed her hair back from her face. "Do you want me to go?" he asked softly.

"No," she said as she shook her head, her face still buried in his neck.

Luke gently pushed back on her shoulders and waited as she lazily lifted her head to look at him. Using both hands, he pushed her hair back and looked into her eyes. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Yes," she replied softly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, damn you, I want you to stay," she said with a lazy smile.

Luke smiled as Stella piped up from the kitchen, cheeping madly. "I thought you made that up," he admitted.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "No, but I bet I would have come up with something."

"You think I'm cheap?" he joked.

"And easy," Lorelai said with a nod.

"And don't you forget it," he said with a nod and a firm kiss.


	9. A Private Party

**Just a dirty little ditty for your Sunday reading pleasure. All I can say is, after those kisses, there would not have been enough cheesecake in the world to get me out of that door… I had to give Lorelai a bit of a wardrobe change. I hope that you don't mind. But really, the man was cooking her dinner; the least she could do was wear his favorite skirt.**

**A Private Party**

"What are they doing in there?" Luke growled.

"Um, fighting?"

"And how long can you fight in an eight by ten room?"

Lorelai grinned and said, "Well, maybe they're not fighting. Maybe they're having angry make-up sex."

"Now that makes me feel much better, thank you," Luke said as he rolled his eyes. "Sorry about dinner," he added in a softer tone.

"Aw, dinner was great. It was delicious and interactive," Lorelai said as she gestured to the bathroom door.

Luke sighed and patted her hand. "Okay, I don't know how long this is going to continue."

"Well, we could set fire to the place. Smoke 'em out," she suggested.

"Listen, you don't have to sit here. I'll deal with this. You go home."

Lorelai frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yep," Luke said, resigned. He stood up and walked over to the counter. "They are my family, yippee. I'll deal with it." He took out a plastic container and placed an entire cheese cake inside. When he turned, Lorelai was shrugging into her jacket. He held out the container and said, "You take this and go home, and we will try again tomorrow."

Lorelai grinned as her eyes widened. "Wow! My own cheesecake. No man's ever given me a whole cheesecake before," she cooed as she took the container from him.

"You remember that," Luke said in a low husky voice, still advancing on her. He stepped into her and pulled her to him, kissing her softly.

"Mm-hmm," Lorelai hummed as they kissed. She pulled away and looked into his eyes as she said, "Hey, maybe when I get home I'll stir something, seeing as I'm so good at it." Luke hushed her by kissing her again, his lips lingering on hers as he breathed in deeply. "Thanks for dinner," Lorelai murmured against his lips.

This time the kiss was soft and sensual as they melted into each other. Luke's fingers pressed into her back as he angled his head, taking more.

"Thank you for not being related to me," he said in a hoarse voice. When Lorelai snickered, he muttered, "That came out wrong."

"No, I got it," she answered with a happy smile as he began walking her backwards toward the door. "Goodnight," Lorelai whispered before going in for one more taste.

"'Night," Luke answered, still not letting her go. When Lorelai's back hit the door, he leaned into her, pressing her up against it and kissing her passionately. He braced one hand on the frosted glass as he ducked his head and nipped at her neck. "I had plans," he growled.

"Plans?" Lorelai asked breathlessly.

"Yes," he whispered soft and low. His tongue traced the shell of her ear as his other hand slid down to the hem of her short black skirt. "I don't want you to go," he said as he drew her ear lobe into his mouth, his hand caressing her thigh.

"This was all just some elaborate seduction scene?" Lorelai asked, tilting her head to grant him better access to her neck.

"Yes," he said in a low dangerous rumble.

The loud voices coming from the bathroom faded as the blood rushed in her ears. "What were you going to do with me?" she asked breathlessly.

Luke's hand slid a little higher on her thigh. "All sorts of things." He drew on the soft skin just beneath her ear. "Planned on serving that cheesecake in bed."

The breath rushed from her lungs as he ground against her, his arousal evident through the thin material of her skirt. "Now you're just teasing me, cruel man."

"Will you think about me?" he asked softly. Luke trailed tiny kisses along her jaw. "I'll be thinking about you."

"Oh God," Lorelai said as she twisted the doorknob and pushed him back. "You are so bad." She managed to get the door open a crack, and Luke raised his eyebrows challengingly.

Lorelai gave him another shove and he stepped back, allowing her to open the door. Lorelai grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the hallway with her. "Close the door," she ordered.

When Luke closed the apartment door and turned back to her, he found her staring at the container in her hand indecisively. Finally, she placed it carefully on the floor with a slight nod. Lorelai stood up again and used the momentum of her body to push him back against the doorframe. She kissed him hard and hot, her tongue tangling with his as her fingers fisted in his hair. She tore her lips from his, kissing her way across his stubbly jaw and down to his neck. "Tell me," she whispered urgently.

"What?" he asked.

"Tell me everything you want to do to me," she ordered as she pressed into his sinuously.

A breathy laugh escaped his lips. "Don't you know by now?"

"Tell me so I can dream about you."

Luke wrapped his hand around her waist and pushed off of the doorframe, turning until her back was up against the wall. "How 'bout I show you instead?"

"Here?"

"Let me know if the yelling stops," he said with a nod. He kissed her again, his lips hard and demanding as his tongue plundered her mouth. His hands were everywhere; stroking her leg, skimming the curve of her waist, slipping under her jacket to caress her breasts through that clingy red top that had been driving him wild all night.

"Oh, God, Luke," Lorelai managed to squeak as she gasped for air. "Yes. Here, now," she panted.

"I love this skirt," he said in a ragged voice. He slid both hands under it, caressing the backs of her thighs, pulling the material up higher as he worked his way to her ass. He ground against her and whispered in her ear, "But I always imagine it with nothing underneath."

"Sorry," Lorelai murmured as her slipped his fingers under the elastic of her panties.

"Nah, if I knew that you did that, my head would probably explode," he said with a soft chuckle.

"Maybe next time," Lorelai said as he sucked hard on curve of her neck. He scrapped his teeth over her collarbone as he squeezed her ass and she moaned aloud.

He kissed her again, drawing her lips against his slowly, teasing her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue. Luke slipped one finger under the elastic leg of her panties, shifting to the side and pressing his erection into her hip as his finger traced a line of fire along the front of her thigh. "You like this," he said in a soft seductive voice. "You're excited."

"Yes," Lorelai confessed.

"Should I make love to you here? Up against this wall?" he whispered into her ear.

"Yes."

His breath was hot, washing over her ear and sending tingles down her spine. He brushed his finger against the curls at the top of her leg and groaned when he felt the damp heat emanating from her. "I want to," he rasped. Luke pressed his finger against her and Lorelai shifted, parting her legs as she pressed her head back against the wall. Luke stroked her softly, his finger barely parting her damp folds as he teased her. "I wanna be inside you," he said in the barest whisper.

Lorelai whimpered softly, her fingers curling into his shoulder as he parted her, finding her wet with desire. "I want you," she said desperately.

"Tomorrow," he promised.

"Now."

Luke pressed his finger to her entrance, watching as she licked her lips in anticipation. He thrust his finger into her, and she cried out in a mixture of relief and frustration. "So wet," he murmured against her ear.

"Yes, oh yes," she moaned.

"Will you think about me tonight?"

"Yes, yes."

The voices that carried from the apartment were suddenly quiet and Luke froze, his breathing labored as he listened carefully. "Please, no," he muttered. When they heard Liz screech in a whole new octave, Luke pressed his lips to Lorelai's and kissed her heatedly, his finger stroking her hard and fast as his thumb brushed teasingly over her clit.

"Luke," Lorelai gasped.

"I want you to think about me tonight, Lorelai," he rasped as their breath mingled. "I want you to eat that cheesecake in bed and think about all the things I want to do with you."

"I'm, oh!"

Luke curled his finger inside of her, stroking her walls with each thrust. "I had plans," he said low and soft.

Lorelai felt the heat of her climax coiling inside of her. "Please," she whispered.

Luke squeezed her ass hard as he drove her up. "I planned to have you naked in my bed. I planned to love you until you begged me to stop. I planned to have you, Lorelai."

"Luke!" she cried, his name echoing in the hallway. Her orgasm slammed into her, wracking her with spasms of pleasure so intense, she prayed that they would never stop as much as she feared that they would go on forever. She whispered his name over and over again as he continued to stroke her, bring her back to earth gently.

"You're mine, and tomorrow I will have you," he whispered low and soft in her ear.

"Yes."

He slid his finger from her and smoothed her panties back into place. Luke tugged at the hem of her skirt, pulling it back down to its proper length as she sagged bonelessly against the wood paneled wall. "I love this skirt," he said in a deep throaty voice.

"Me too," Lorelai breathed. She opened her eyes and blinked at him lazily. "I love that you love it."

Luke kissed her softly, letting his lips slide over hers and catching her breath as she tried to slow her hammering heart. "I got a little carried away with the kissing," he confessed as he rubbed his scruffy cheek against her soft smooth one.

"A little," Lorelai said with a smile.

"You didn't seem to mind."

"Not at all," she purred. "Rory's going back to Yale tomorrow. You'll come over?"

"Try to stop me."

"Never."

Luke smiled ruefully as he cocked his head and listened to the sound of Liz and TJ still arguing in his bathroom. "I should probably let you go home now."

Lorelai sighed and said, "I wanna stay with you."

"I know," he said in a voice laced with regret. "Tomorrow," he whispered.

Lorelai nodded as she straightened up, smoothing her hands over her rumpled skirt. Luke stepped back and bent down to pick up the container of cheesecake. Lorelai took it with a smug smile and then kissed him lightly on the lips. "Thank you," she said softly.

"My pleasure," Luke assured her with a naughty lift of his eyebrows.

Lorelai giggled as the voices inside the apartment grew louder, and suddenly the door was flung open.

"I can't think here!" TJ proclaimed loudly.

"TJ come back here!" Liz cried as she hurried through the apartment.

"No, no! You should go find somewhere you can think," Luke said quickly.

"TJ, we are not done discussing this," Liz said as she pulled on his arm, tugging him back toward the apartment.

"No, he should go," Luke said as he pulled on TJ's other arm.

"What is this? A tug-war?" TJ asked as he shook his head.

"I'll just leave you two to fight over him," Lorelai said as she stepped past them. She turned her head and whispered in Luke's ear. "I'm glad I'm not related to you too. I'll dream about you."

Luke released TJ's arm and turned to watch her as she walked down the stairs. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he motioned to the apartment. "Fine, have at it!" he said as he threw his arms up in frustration.

Lorelai smiled and blew a kiss to him as she held the curtain back to step through. Luke nodded once and lifted his hand in a half wave as he called, "Tomorrow."

With a nod, Lorelai stepped through and the curtain swished back into place. Luke turned back to his apartment and warned, "TJ, you say escrow one more time…" as he slammed the door behind him.


	10. Out of the Kitchen & Into the Deep Fryer

**A/N: Okay, really improbable, I admit, but it was fun. **

**Out of the Kitchen and Into the Deep Fryer**

"Hey everybody," Lorelai called as the bells above the diner door announced their arrival.

Babette smiled and waved as she called, "Oh, hey there, Dollfaces! Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Yeah, Happy Thanksgiving," Morey added with a nod.

Luke stepped out of the kitchen wiping his hands on a towel. "Hey," Rory said as she held out a bouquet of fall flowers.

Luke eyed the bouquet suspiciously and asked, "What's this?"

"Flowers," Rory answered patiently.

"What do I do with them?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Ugh, not this again," she groaned.

"Put them in a vase with water," Rory instructed.

"I don't have a vase," Luke said gruffly.

"You do this every year," Lorelai complained.

"I don't have vases," Luke reiterated as he turned to glare at her.

"Buy a vase!"

"But I don't need a vase 'cause I never have flowers," Luke pointed out.

"Except when we bring you flowers every year on Thanksgiving. Buy a vase," Lorelai ordered.

"Stop bringing me flowers," Luke growled.

"Stop bringing me flowers," Lorelai mimicked. "I knew you were gonna say that because you say the same thing. We have this same exact conversation every year," she said as she pointed at him accusingly.

"And every year you point that out," Luke shot back.

"And every year you point that out," Lorelai retorted.

"And every year you point that out," Luke sneered.

Rory stepped in, cutting them both off. "And then every year we put the flowers on the counter and forget the ugliness ever happened."

Lorelai smirked and said, "Well, at least we have a tradition."

"Good. I'll be right back." Luke pointed to a table set for four and said, "That's our table over there."

Lorelai and Rory stopped to talk to Kirk, and were shocked to find that Kirk and Cat Kirk were not exactly getting along swimmingly. As Kirk rambled about his travails with his new pet, Lorelai's gaze kept drifting to Luke as he moved around the diner. _Tradition._ It was a tradition to come to Luke's for Thanksgiving dinner. They'd been coming here for years. She sighed softly, wondering what she could have possibly been thinking when she decided that Luke's was the meal that they could do without. _Hell, Luke's would be the best meal of the day. Except, well, I have to admit that the deep fired turkey sounded intriguing._

As Kirk described that incredible power that Cat Kirk derived from water, Lorelai caught Luke absently wiping his hands on the tail of his shirt and smiled as the words, 'Me too!' suddenly popped into her head. For a moment she wondered if she should feel the slightest bit guilty about ogling one of her best friends, but then quickly brushed the thought away. Ogling Luke was the favorite indoor sport of most every female Stars Hollow resident over the age of twenty-five. And there would quite a few who would gladly bump it down to second favorite, if only they could get their hands on him. Lorelai cocked her head as she eyed him. He was very good looking, but he didn't seem to notice. _No, I take that back, he knows he is, but he doesn't care,_ Lorelai amended quickly. _That was definitely part of the appeal. He was a reserved and generally self-effacing man, but there was still a little bit of cocky jock buried under all that flannel. It made a girl itch to see if she could get him to come out to play. _

Rory nudged her slightly and Lorelai started from her reverie. "Well, then, I think it's good you're giving Kirk a little space right now," she said with what she hoped was a sympathetic smile. "Just relax and enjoy your food," Lorelai added as she and Rory began to inch away.

"I can't taste my food," Kirk said pathetically.

"Well, then, just try to relax," Lorelai advised, flashing him a quick smile.

"Thanks," Kirk mumbled.

"Hey," Jess said, appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hey," Rory said softly as she gave Jess a quick kiss hello.

"Hi," Jess said as he turned to Lorelai.

"Hi. Happy Thanksgiving. So, are you joining us?" she asked, trying desperately to mask her discomfort.

Jess glanced at the table and then back at the two of them as he said, "Uh, sure, if that's okay."

Lorelai nodded quickly as she said, "Yeah, sit, sit."

They were just getting settled at the table when Luke and Caesar appeared with their plates. "God, I'm starved," Jess grumbled.

"You could've eaten," Luke told him.

Jess scoffed and said, "You kept telling me not to eat."

"I did not," Luke said, shifting uncomfortably in the seat next to Lorelai.

"You did, too. You said you were waiting for them," Jess said bluntly.

Lorelai looked over at Luke and said, "Aw, you didn't have to wait for us."

"I wasn't waiting for you, it just worked out this way," Luke insisted.

"Right," Jess snickered.

Anxious to nip yet another senseless debate in the bud, Rory piped up and said, "Looks great."

"Tasty," Lorelai agreed as she ate a forkful of potatoes.

"Shouldn't we give thanks first?" Luke asked.

Jess looked up from his plate. "Thanks for what?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Well, that we're not Native Americans who got their land stolen in exchange for smallpox infested blankets," he said dryly.

"Amen," Lorelai agreed with a nod.

Luke picked up his utensils and asked, "So, where you guys in your day?"

"We hit the Kim's, we hit Sookie's, and we go to the grandparents from here," Rory reported.

"Full day," Lorelai said as she chewed.

"Yeah, well, you can skip eating this one if you want. Just have cokes or something, it's no big deal," Luke said as he shook his head.

"No, no way, you're the main event today, my friend," Lorelai insisted.

Luke's smiled with relief as he said, "Oh, good."

"What's good are the yams," Rory enthused as she pointed to the candied yams on her plate.

"Definitely," Lorelai agreed. "Got some more marshmallows?" she asked Luke.

Luke set his napkin beside his plate as he began to slide from his chair. "Yeah, I can grab some." He looked at Jess and said, "Hey, refill some coffees." Lorelai turned and watched as they looked away. She smiled as she saw Luke brush his palms over the tail of his shirt again and wondered if that ass looked as fabulous without the Levi's as it did with them.

When Rory placed her fork noisily on her plate, Lorelai turned back and toyed with her potatoes. "So, no offense, but lame-o kiss," she commented.

"What?" Rory asked.

"You and Jess, like a couple chickens pecking at each other."

"Mind your own business."

"Well, it was right in front of me," Lorelai pointed out.

"Well, you keep staring at Luke's butt right in front of me, but I didn't feel the need to give you a review on it," Rory hissed.

"I do not!"

"You've been staring at him ever since we walked in here," Rory whispered.

"You're imagining things," Lorelai said with a laugh.

"You were eating off of his plate!"

"I always do that. Besides, he doesn't like mashed potatoes," Lorelai said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Well, I may not be very good with the public displays, but you're heading right for one," Rory muttered.

Lorelai sighed. "I'm sorry, Hon. I really wasn't criticizing. It's just that, you didn't seem to have that problem with Dean," Lorelai pointed out.

"I know, but now I just feel like everybody's watching me," Rory said with a shrug.

"People are not watching you."

"You were watching me."

"I created you. It's biologically predetermined that I watch you," Lorelai said as she took a sip of her water.

"I just don't know how this whole second boyfriend thing is supposed to go," Rory complained.

"Well, he's your first second boyfriend. Give it time."

Rory glanced around and then said, "The whole town got used to me with Dean, it's just weird."

"It'll get easier. You're gonna have hundreds of men in your life," Lorelai said encouragingly.

"Gee, thanks."

"Well, maybe not hundreds, but a couple, three, more. It'll get easier."

"I guess," Rory mumbled.

"Honey, they'll adjust to seeing you with Jess," Lorelai assured her.

"And then there's Dean. What do I do about him?" Rory asked worriedly.

"Well, you know, he'll be moving on, too," Lorelai shrugged.

"Oh, right. Of course he will, yeah," Rory said too quickly.

Babette and Morey approached their table just as Luke and Jess reappeared. "Well, we're outta here," Babette said as she pulled her hair from the collar of her coat.

"Time to walk some of this off," Morey added as he patted his flat stomach.

"Oh, we'd have to walk to China to walk all of it off! Which way's China?" Babette moaned.

"Thataway," Lorelai said as she pointed behind them. "Have a good night."

"Thanks." Babette turned to follow Morey, and then turned back. "By the way, that was some half-assed kiss you two had. You gotta give it a little something, honey," she said as she thrust a fist at Jess

Lorelai lifted her hand in a wave and called, "Bye, Babette. Bye, Morey."

Babette shook her head and said, "I'm just sayin'. You watch Luke," she told Jess. "I bet your uncle could kiss the bejesus out of a girl!"

"Bye, Babette!" Luke called as he kept his eyes focused on his plate. He eyed his mashed potatoes curiously and then glanced sidelong at Lorelai as the bells heralded their departure.

"Can you, Uncle Luke? Can you really kiss the bejesus out of a girl?" Jess asked mockingly.

"Shut up," Luke snarled.

"But I need pointers, you're my role model, Uncle Luke," Jess persisted.

"Did you eat my potatoes?" Luke asked Lorelai, hoping to change the subject.

"You never eat them all anyway," Lorelai answered with a shrug.

"You have your own," Luke said as he nodded to her plate.

Lorelai looked up with a devilish smile and asked, "What are you gonna do about it? Kiss the bejesus out of me?"

"You don't think I can?" Luke asked as he stared her down.

"Oh my God," Rory groaned as she propped her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands.

"Dare ya," Jess taunted.

Luke shot him a look as he picked up his fork. "I'm not twelve. Eat your dinner."

Lorelai reached over and patted Luke's leg. "That's okay, Luke, we believe you," she said with an exaggerated nod.

Luke glanced down at her hand on his thigh and then up at her teasing blue eyes. He dropped his fork with a clatter, reached behind her and wrapped his hand around the back of her neck. As he leaned over, he thought maybe he heard a shocked gasp from the other side of the table, but he didn't care. Luke pressed his lips to Lorelai's kissing her firmly for a fraction of a second before he relaxed into her, his lips molding to hers. Lorelai's eyes widened and then closed as his lips softened against hers; moving across them slowly and lingering for a moment before he pulled back.

Luke turned back to his plate, picked up his fork, and kept his eyes locked on his dinner roll. "Pass the salt and pepper, please," he said gruffly.

Jess glanced at Rory and then Lorelai and saw that they both sat gaping at Luke wide eyed. He reached across Rory for the shakers and then passed them to his uncle with a small smile of masculine appreciation. "Good work. Looks like she's fresh out of bejesus," he commented as Luke took the salt and pepper from him.

Luke glanced at Lorelai and saw the perplexed frown that bisected her eyebrows. "Stay away from my yams," he said in a low voice.

A laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it. Lorelai reached over and swatted his arm lightly. "Geez, give a girl a little warning next time," she laughed.

"Where's the fun in that?" Luke asked with a smirk.

"Man, you should have to register those lips as a weapon," Lorelai said with a grin.

"I've thought about it," Luke answered with a shrug as he took a bite of his mashed potatoes. He dared to look over at Rory, who still stared at him in shock. "Food'll get cold," he said quietly.

Rory nodded mutely and picked up her fork once more. As she speared a piece of turkey, Luke turned to Lorelai and asked conversationally, "So, did Mrs. Kim make tofurkey?"

Jess turned to Rory and said, "They're showing _It's a Wonderful Life_ at the BWR tonight. You want to go if you get back from your grandparents in time?"

"Luke just kissed my mom," Rory whispered in his ear.

"I know, I saw," Jess whispered back.

"You don't think that's strange?" she hissed.

"No stranger than someone eating tofurkey," Jess said with a shrug.

****

"Are you mad?" Rory asked as they walked toward Sookie's house later that night.

"No, I'm not mad," Lorelai answered

"You seem mad," Rory commented.

"I'm not mad."

"What are you feeling?"

Lorelai tipped her head back, rolled her neck and then said, "I wouldn't know how to word it."

"Try."

Lorelai stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and said, "See, my head knows that whichever one of these places you go, Harvard, Princeton, Yale; it's gonna be great. It's gonna be awesome, and you're gonna come out on the other side an even more amazing you." She sighed heavily and then said, "But I just wish my head could sit down and have a chat with that gnawing feeling in my gut that's there every time my parents get involved in anything and tell it, it's gonna be okay."

"It's gonna be okay."

Lorelai snorted softly and said, "Nice try."

Rory put a hand on Lorelai's arm as she began walking again, and pulled her to a halt. "Wait. I think we need to talk about the other elephant in the room."

"Don't you mean the elephant on the sidewalk? We're not in a room," Lorelai pointed out.

"Mom," Rory whined.

"What elephant, Rory?"

"The one that had you mooning all the way to Hartford; the one that had you off in never-never land until someone, who shall not be named, mentioned Yale," Rory said impatiently.

"I was mooning? I was not mooning," Lorelai scoffed.

"Oh, there was mooning," Rory chuckled

"I mooned no one!"

"Well, your pants stayed fastened, but that's about all I can say," Rory said dryly.

"Rory!"

"Mom!"

"What?"

"Luke kissed you!"

"I know!" Lorelai huffed.

"Luke. Kissed. You," Rory said slowly.

"I. Was. There," Lorelai responded.

"Well? Is the bejesus gone?" Rory asked impatiently.

Lorelai laughed. "Oh yeah, long gone."

"So, wow, it was a good kiss?" Rory asked. "I can't believe I asked that," she murmured to herself.

"It was a very good kiss. Luke does not have to worry about getting bad reviews in the _Village Voice_, or from the village voice known as Babette Dell for that matter," Lorelai confirmed.

"Well, what does this mean?" Rory asked.

"What does what mean?"

"He kissed you!"

"Yes, we have confirmation on that. Eyewitnesses; first hand reports. There may be film, you never know what Kirk is up to," Lorelai said as she waved her hands around in exasperation.

"What does it mean that Luke kissed you?" Rory asked, undeterred.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "I don't know, uh, nothing?"

"Nothing? What does that mean?"

"It means that it means nothing, Rory. Remember? A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh and all of that," Lorelai said as she tried to turn away again.

"You were thinking about it all the way to Grandma and Grandpa's," Rory said adamantly.

"Well, sure, I mean, been a little while since I had a good kiss," Lorelai said as she tried to play off her distraction.

"So, you and Luke, what do you think this means?"

"I think it means he doesn't want me eating off of his plate anymore."

"Mom! Come on! What's going on?" Rory asked, her frustration boiling over. "First you're staring at him like he's your own personal Chippendale's dancer, and the next thing I know, he's planting one right on the kisser!"

"Nothing is going on!"

"Do you want something to be going on?"

"Rory, what do you want me to say? Babette made a stupid comment, Jess turned it into a challenge and Luke is a guy. Guys can never resist a challenge," Lorelai said firmly.

"You think that was all that was?" Rory asked, her voice laden with doubt.

"I see no evidence that it was anything else. He kissed me and then told me to stay away from his yams. Those aren't exactly words of seduction, Rory."

"But, he's been so into you for, like, forever," Rory insisted. "You don't think that maybe there was a little more to that kiss than just a challenge?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Lorelai cried in frustration.

"Well, do you want there to be more?"

"I don't know, maybe," Lorelai said as she flung her arms out to her sides.

"Maybe?"

"Well, Rory, I don't have a good answer for you. Do I find Luke attractive? Yes, he's an attractive guy. Did I like the kiss? Yes, it was a good kiss. A great kiss. Four stars, two thumbs waaaaay up! I don't know what else you want me to say!"

"Do you plan on telling Luke any of this?" Rory demanded.

"No way!" Lorelai said adamantly as she turned and started walking quickly toward Sookie's house.

"But, Mom," Rory called as she trotted after her. "Why?"

"Because if he was all that into me like you keep saying, he'd do something about it," Lorelai answered without breaking stride.

"He kissed you in the middle of the diner today."

"That didn't mean anything!"

"Yes, it did! You know Luke. You know he wouldn't have done something like that unless he wanted to. He'd never do that just to prove something, especially not to Jess," Rory said with conviction.

"So, what? You want me to go in there and ask him if he wants to kiss me again?" Lorelai asked, incredulous.

"Might work, it's worth a try," Rory said with a shrug. "Can we slow down? I'm in heels," she reminded her mother.

Lorelai slowed and said, "Sweets, I know that you mean well. I know that you just want me to be happy, and Luke to be happy, but I'm not sure that this is the best thing that could happen."

"Why not?"

"Because I am a dating disaster, Rory, and from what I can see, Luke isn't much better. We're friends, good friends, and that's way more important than a kiss. I'd rather have the bejesus back than screw with that," Lorelai told her earnestly. "Okay? Can we drop it now?"

"Fine, dropping it," Rory grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest as she followed Lorelai across Sookie's lawn.

"Hey, Sookie," Lorelai called to her friend, nervously eying the crowd gathered around the vat of boiling oil.

"Ah, hi there," Sookie said with a bleary smile.

"Are you okay?" Lorelai asked, concerned.

Sookie pointed to her margarita glass and said, "This tastes good."

Lorelai cast a worried look at Jackson and his cousins and said, "Yeah, it looks like they're deep-frying…"

"Everything," Sookie finished for her.

"Huh," Lorelai grunted. As Sookie proceeded to list the items that had found their way into the vat, Lorelai's mind drifted to the conversation she and Rory had just had. She glanced over at Rory and found her staring at her with a disconcerting expression. Lorelai flinched slightly and then turned her attention back to her friend.

"And yet, you're very serene," Rory noted as she continued to watch Lorelai surreptitiously.

"Uh, you're practically floating," Lorelai corrected.

"Well, you caught me at a good time, ladies. I've already gone through the five stages of grieving. Denial, anger… I don't remember these two, but they were served on the rocks with salt!" Sookie crowed happily. She sighed as she looked forlornly at the scorched lawn. "Now, I'm just happily enscotched in acceptance. Enscotched…" she tried again.

"Ensconced?" Rory suggested.

"Ensconced – that's it!" Sookie said with a big nod. "I do believe I heard Phil suggest throwing Junior in," Sookie whispered conspiratorially.

"Junior?"

"His nephew."

"Whoa," Lorelai breathed.

"I chimed in on that one," Sookie confirmed with a proud smile.

"What happened over there?" Lorelai asked as she pointed to the lawn.

Sookie took a sip of her margarita and said nonchalantly, "Mm, about a half-hour ago they set the lawn on fire."

"Ah," Lorelai acknowledged.

"But Phil says it's okay and everything 'cause it'll grow back twice as lush. Though that's what he said when he broke my salad bowl that I brought back from Belgium. That'll maybe grow back, too, huh?" Sookie asked loudly, pointing to one of the guys huddled around the vat. She laughed and said, "Phil is a riot." She turned back to Lorelai and asked, "Am I crying or laughing?"

"Laughing."

"Good."

Rory's pager chirped and she pulled it from her pocket. "Who's that?" Lorelai asked.

Rory read the display and said, "It's Lane. It just says 'bible kiss bible'."

"What does that mean?"

"I have no idea. Good band name, though," Rory said as she slipped the pager back into her pocket. "Seems to be a big day for kissing," she said pointedly.

"Honey, we should get going," Lorelai said quickly. "You gonna be okay?" she asked Sookie.

"I'm Sookie," her friend answered.

"Yeah, I know, but you're gonna be okay, right? You'll go to bed soon?"

"Unless they deep-fried it," Sookie said darkly. She looked up as they stood up and asked, "Big day for kissing? You kiss your boy today?" she asked Rory.

"Um, yeah. Mom did too," Rory said cryptically.

"Okay, we'll see you tomorrow," Lorelai said in a rush.

"You kissed Jess?" Sookie asked Lorelai, blinking her eyes in confusion.

"No, she kissed Luke. Or Luke kissed her, I should say," Rory ratted.

The night air was pierced with a high pitched squeal as Sookie struggled to get up from the picnic table, but fell immediately got her legs tangled in the throw and fell back to the bench. "Luke? Luke kissed you?" she asked loudly.

"Aw, she's just messing with you, Sook," Lorelai said as she grabbed Rory's arm and started to pull her away.

"Oh," Sookie whispered, her face falling. "You should kiss Luke, he's so into you," she said with a sad shake of her head.

"See?" Rory demanded.

"Mean girl!" Lorelai hissed in her ear as she waved goodbye.

"Sookie agrees with me," Rory said smugly. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Sookie staring into her glass with a sad smile. "Poor thing," she said softly.

"Oh, she may not remember any of it," Lorelai said optimistically.

"Deep-fried shoe!" Jackson cried happily.

"Deep-fried shoe!" another guy echoed.

"Let's hope not, at least," Lorelai added with a smirk as they hurried away from the scene of the crime.

"I'm gonna go meet Jess," Rory told her.

"I wonder if Luke has any leftovers," Lorelai mused.

"I bet he has something that'll satisfy you," Rory said drolly.

"Oh my God! Drop it, already!" Lorelai demanded. "He kissed me, big deal! Does that mean I can never go back to the diner again?"

"You're going there now," Rory answered smugly as they crossed the street.

The diner door swung open and Luke followed Jess out onto the steps. "Get more trash cans," Jess groused.

"I don't need more," Luke answered stubbornly.

"You make me run around town for a place to dump this," Jess said as he hefted the trash bag.

"Just dump it in one of Taylor's bins. It gets it out of here and it'll drive Taylor crazy. It's a win-win," Luke said with a smirk.

"Hi guys," Lorelai called out as they stepped up onto the curb.

"We're out of food," Luke said preemptively.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "Oh, please, we're not eating for a year."

"Or 'til tomorrow morning," Rory corrected.

"Whichever comes first." Lorelai looked at Jess with the trash bag slung over his shoulder and said, "Hi, Saint Nick."

"Tell him he needs to get more trash cans," Jess grumbled.

"Just go," Luke said as he pointed down the alley.

"You got any coffee?" Lorelai asked Luke hopefully.

"That I've got. Come on in," he said as he opened the door for her. "Hey, did I see flames coming from Sookie's place about a half-hour ago?"

"Yeah, why?" Lorelai answered nonchalantly.

"No reason," Luke mumbled as he moved behind the counter.

Lorelai smirked as she saw Rory follow Jess around the side of the building. "So, good day?" she asked.

"Pretty good," Luke replied with a nod.

"The food was great. Best meal of the day, and I should know, I had a few," Lorelai said as he placed a mug in front of her.

The bells chimed as Rory rushed in. "Ooh, coffee," she said gratefully as Luke turned to pour another mug.

"So, how did the four dinners work out? You guys must feel more stuffed than you've ever been," Luke said as he slid the mug in front of Rory.

Lorelai turned to her daughter and frown in concentration. "I don't know. Is this more stuffed than the great Six Flags hot dog consumption of '99?"

Rory shook her head. "No, or the taffy binge of '97."

"Not by a long shot," Lorelai agreed. She turned back to Luke and said, "See, we didn't eat at my parents because of the upset, so we really had three dinners, not four."

"Which means…" Rory said with a sigh.

"What?" Lorelai asked worriedly.

"We didn't have to skip rolls," Rory said sadly.

"Oh yeah," Lorelai breathed as the realization dawned. "Hey, do you have any rolls left?" she asked Luke.

"No. Come on," he groaned in disbelief.

"Just a little something for the walk home," Lorelai cajoled.

"You ready?" Jess asked as he poked his head in the door.

Rory hopped from her stool and said, "I'll make my date buy me popcorn. See you later!"

"I don't see how you do it," Luke grumbled as the door closed behind them. He dropped a baggie holding about a dozen rolls onto the counter and shook his head.

"Well, you're not us," Lorelai said as she took a sip of her coffee. She watched as he moved around behind the counter, straightening and wiping things that appeared to have been already straightened and wiped.

"You guys should be studied."

"You volunteering?" Lorelai asked archly.

Luke snorted and said, "Please, I could give a dissertation on you and your habits."

"Tell me, Dr. Danes, what have you observed?" Lorelai said as she cocked her head, looking up at him coyly as she shrugged out of her coat.

"You have a cast iron stomach and the highest tolerance for caffeine of anyone, ever."

Lorelai chuckled and said, "Tell me something I don't know."

Luke stopped wiping the back counter and turned around. He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest as he said, "Well, let's see. You're possibly the smartest person I've ever known, maybe even smarter than Rory, but that would be a close call. Your house is a mess, especially your bedroom, but it's clean. Cluttered, I guess is the word. You have a strange relationship with your parents, but deep down you crave their approval, that's why it hurts you when you don't get it."

"Wow, I guess I should have called you Dr. Freud," Lorelai said with a short laugh.

"Your hair is naturally curly, but sometimes you do something to it to make it straight. Personally, I like the curly better. Oh, and your lip stuff tasted cinnamon-y," Luke said with a nod as he gestured to his lips.

"I knew that. I bought it," Lorelai said quietly.

Luke continued to nod as he watched her warily. "Well, maybe you didn't know this. I didn't kiss you because Jess was goading me."

"Why did you kiss me?" Lorelai asked breathlessly.

"Because I wanted to."

"Not to keep me away from your yams?"

"You can eat my yams," Luke answered calmly.

Lorelai's lips curved as she said, "I'm sure there's a dirty in there somewhere, but I'm a little too distracted to pick it out." She slid from her stool and made her way to the end of the counter, keeping a close eye on him as she went.

"Distracted?" Luke asked, not moving a muscle.

Lorelai nodded as she stepped into his sacred space behind the counter and made her way toward him. "How come I can eat your yams?" she asked quietly.

"You want them, you can have them," Luke said, struggling to sound casual.

"What if I don't want yams?" Lorelai asked as she came to a stop in front of him and leaned back against the front counter, mirroring his stance.

"What do you want?"

"Well, you already gave me the rolls," she said as she jerked her head toward the baggie on the counter. "What else you have to offer?"

Luke's jaw flexed as he ran the edges of his teeth together, weighing his words carefully. "Mashed potatoes?" he asked, stalling for time.

"You said you were out," Lorelai said as she arched one eyebrow.

"I do have some turkey left," he said as he hooked a thumb toward the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry."

"You wanted rolls."

"I wanted you to give me rolls."

"Then why don't you just tell me what else it is you want me to give you," Luke suggested.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "You know so much about me and I feel like I know very little about you."

"That's because you talk all of the time," Luke said with a smirk. "What do you want to know?"

Lorelai pursed her lips as she glanced down at the toes of her shoes. When she lifted her eyes again she looked at him boldly and said, "I want to know how you got to be such a good kisser."

Luke's lips curved into a smug smile as he said simply, "Practice."

"Practice?"

Luke shrugged and said, "How else do you get good at anything?"

"Practice? Like on your pillow?" Lorelai asked with a laugh.

Luke shook his head slowly and said, "Nope. On Marcie Kimball."

"Marcie Kimball?"

Luke nodded and said, "Yep. Tenth grade. We spent the better part of the three weeks she was my girlfriend working on that."

"Wow. Uh, where is Marcie? I feel like I should write her a thank you note for that kiss earlier," Lorelai said, impressed.

"I have no idea. Her folks moved over the winter break, never heard from her again," Luke told her.

"Were you devastated?" Lorelai asked sympathetically.

"Frustrated, more like it," Luke said with a wry smile.

"Ah."

"Yep. So, now you know my secret," Luke said as he pushed away from the counter with his hips. He stepped closer, purposefully invading her space as he leaned on palm on the counter behind her and spoke into her ear. "You know, if you want, you can thank me and if I ever hear from Marcie again, I can pass it along," he offered in a low voice.

"Thank you?" Lorelai asked, not daring to turn her head to look at him.

"I'm just sayin'..."

"Are you gonna kiss me again or what?" Lorelai snapped impatiently.

"I think I'd like to kiss you again," he said softly. Lorelai shivered as his warm moist breath tickled her ear.

"Do it," she whispered.

"Not here," Luke said as he rocked back on his heels, his eyes fixed on her.

"You weren't so shy earlier," Lorelai said as she lifted her chin and stared back at him.

"Not shy now," Luke said as his hand encircled her wrist and he pulled her away from the counter.

Lorelai swayed toward him but frowned in puzzlement when, instead of meeting the solid wall of his chest, she felt herself being pulled in his wake. "Where are we going?" she asked as he held the curtain back for her to step through.

"I'm not into the public thing. Learned that in eleventh grade when Crazy Carrie decided to jump me at the homecoming bonfire," Luke said with a chuckle as he followed her through the curtain.

"Up?" Lorelai asked, pointing to the steps.

"Probably not safe," Luke said as he wrapped one hand around her waist and pulled her to him.

"Safe?" Lorelai asked, tipping her face up to look into his dark blue eyes.

"For you," he answered as his lips grazed hers softly.

"Me?"

Luke pushed her back into the wall opposite the curtain as he shook his head slowly. "Definitely not safe for you," he said in a deep gravelly voice.

He kissed her again, this time drawing her lips against his and nipping at them softly. Lorelai kissed him back relishing the feel of his lips against hers again, marveling at how soft they were, reveling in firm, commanding give and take of them. She felt the tip of his tongue teasing her lips, tracing them softly, requesting permission. With a sigh, she parted her lips. Her fingers knocked his blue cap to the floor in their haste to bury themselves in his hair. He stroked her tongue softly at first, gently exploring this new territory before resuming his quest for unconditional surrender.

When he pulled back, Lorelai sucked in a shuddering breath and kept her eyes closed as she whispered, "Thank you, Marcie."

"I'm sure she'd appreciate that," Luke said with a hoarse chuckle.

Lorelai opened her eyes and pressed her head back against the wall as she looked at him steadily. She wet her suddenly dry lips and then said, "Take me upstairs."

Luke caught his upper lip between his teeth and shook his head sadly. "I can't."

"The kids are at the movies, we have at least a couple of hours, especially if we include their necking time," she argued.

"I can't take you up there. I never should have kissed you today. Now all I can think about is kissing you," Luke confessed as he brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek. "Not that I thought about much else before," he added with a short laugh.

"Take me upstairs," Lorelai said more firmly.

Luke's eyebrows jumped and then knit into a frown. "Are you sure?"

Lorelai slid her hands down his neck, to his shoulders and finally to his chest, letting them rest there as she nodded and said, "Take me up, Luke."

Luke reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers as he pulled her gently away from the wall and led her to the staircase. They walked silently hand in hand up the creaky wooden steps. Luke twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, gesturing for her to precede him into the apartment. He closed the door quietly behind them and turned to face her as Lorelai wriggled her fingers free from his and stepped back, bumping into the kitchen table. The sound of the lock shooting home seemed to reverberate in the room as they looked at each other cautiously, neither sure of what the next move should be.

"You're not gonna get all shy on me now, are you?" Lorelai asked nervously. "'Cause I think I need you not to be the shy one here, okay?"

Luke clenched his jaw and shook his head mutely as he looked at her standing there, wringing her hands together. "We can grab the rolls and I can walk you home," he offered.

"I don't wanna go home," Lorelai said quietly.

"Do you want to be here?" Luke asked in return. Not trusting her voice, Lorelai simply nodded. Luke looked at her quizzically and asked, "Are you scared?"

"A little."

"Of me?"

"No," she whispered as she stepped closer to him again. "I thought about you all night," she confessed. "I think about you a lot."

"You do?"

Lorelai laughed a little and asked, "Does that surprise you?"

'Yeah."

"It shouldn't."

"How do you figure?"

"Please, Luke, half the women in this town would give their, their, whatever to be standing where I'm standing and having you look at them like you're looking at me," she said as she gestured between them. "My mother would say like a porterhouse steak, but I don't think you like red meat…" she babbled.

"I don't want half the women in town," Luke said, cutting her off.

Lorelai tilted her head and asked, "What about the other half?"

"Nope."

"Do you want me?" she asked, flashing a nervous smile.

"Oh yeah." Luke reached out and brushed his knuckles over her soft cheek before unfurling his long fingers into her hair. "I'm crazy about you, Lorelai. Haven't you heard?"

A breathy laugh rushed from her lungs. "You know about that?"

Luke shrugged and said, "How could I not know? They aren't very subtle and I guess I was pretty obvious about it."

"Kiss me again," Lorelai whispered. Luke smiled, curling his fingers into her hair as he cradled the back of her head in his palm and kissed her gently. "Are you really?" she asked.

"Yep." He kissed her again, this time a little slower, a little softer, and a lot more sensually.

"This is gonna be good, isn't it?" Lorelai asked, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

"Look at me," Luke whispered as he brushed his thumb over her moist lips. When Lorelai opened those dazzling blue eyes, Luke nodded as he gazed into them and promised, "This is going to be good."

Once she nodded her agreement, Luke captured her lips again, this time parting them with his tongue and kissing her deeply. Lorelai gave a throaty moan when he trailed off, blazing a line of hot, demanding kisses along her jaw to her ear. "I knew it would be," she told him, her voice growing more confident. Lorelai raked her fingers through his hair, pulling his head back until she could kiss him again, this time taking control as her tongue sought his. Luke pulled her closer, molding her body to his, his hand sliding down to the soft curve of her ass and pulling her roughly against the straining denim of his jeans. Lorelai released him gasping for air. "I always knew we would be, I knew we would be," she panted to the ceiling as he plundered her neck. She moaned as his coarse stubble scraped against her delicate skin, setting each and every nerve ending on fire.

"Yes," Luke murmured against her throat, dipping his tongue into the hollow at the base of it and drawing the tip of it slowly up over her creamy skin. He kissed her again, his tongue tangling with hers as she arched into him, desperately seeking the friction she needed.

Lorelai felt like she was on fire, desire bubbling to boil inside of her, seeping through her veins and escaping through her skin. "Touch me, Luke," she panted in his ear.

With a barely suppressed groan, Luke squeezed her ass gently as his other hand skimmed over her ribcage and nestled beneath the curve of her breast. Lorelai's hands were suddenly everywhere, one fisted in the curls at the nape of his neck, as the other slipped under the tail of his flannel. She ran her hand over the taut muscle of his as and moaned as he caressed her breast trough her blouse. She lowered the other hand and grunted in frustration when all she felt was his wallet tucked into his back pocket. Lorelai fished it out with two fingers, tossed it over her shoulder as she tipped her head back and grabbed his ass with both hands. "Ahh," she moaned appreciatively as he ground against her, tugging the soft skin of her neck into his mouth and laving it with his tongue.

Lorelai ran her hands over his ass and then slid them up under his plaid shirt, raking her nails over the thermal shirt he wore beneath the flannel. She pulled on it, freeing the shirt from his jeans, desperate to touch the warm skin radiating heat through the faded cotton. Her fingers danced over his smooth back, stroking the taut muscles that clenched beneath his skin. Luke groaned as he kissed his way along the neckline of her blouse, his hand snaking beneath the hem to circle slowly on the soft skin of her stomach.

"How does this come off?" he asked as he pulled at her blouse.

"Like this," Lorelai said as she stepped back and pulled the blouse and the camisole she wore beneath over her head.

"I didn't want to tear it," Luke said with a sheepish smile as he reached for her again.

"I appreciate that," Lorelai said softly as his warm hands began to glide over her back. Seconds later, she felt the catch of her bra give way. Lorelai looked up at him in surprise, steadying herself with her hand on his shoulder. Luke answered her with a cocky smile and then kissed her hot and hard. "The top looked complicated. This I understand," he explained with a naughty lift of his eyebrows as he skimmed the straps down her arms. His eyes dropped to her small pink tipped breasts and he sucked in a breath.

"Not much going on there," Lorelai said with a self-conscious laugh.

"Perfect," Luke murmured as he brushed his thumb over one rose tipped peak and watched as it tightened in response.

He pressed his hand into the small of her back and pulled her against him as he kissed her again, his tongue sweeping into her mouth possessively. Lorelai moaned softly as he pinched her nipple and gently rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. Luke walked her one step back into the kitchen table and Lorelai stumbled slightly as she toppled onto it. Luke tore his mouth from hers and with a frustrated grunt reached up to pull both of his shirts up over his head. The tangle of flannel and thermal cotton hit the floor with a whoosh as he pressed his bare chest to hers, growling deep in his throat as her nipples rasped against the soft hair on his chest. He kissed her hungrily, pushing her back onto the table as his mouth worked steadily down her throat, across her collarbone, nipping at the curve of her shoulder as he reached for her hands, raising them up over her head as he laid her back on the table.

"Oh God," Lorelai whispered as his fingertips trailed lazily down the tender skin inside her arms.

Luke watched as the goosebumps rose in their wake and her nipples furled tightly. He bent over her, lowering his mouth to one dusky pink tip and circled it with his tongue. Lorelai gasped as he blew cool air over her dampened skin, and then whimpered softly as she arched up off of the table, urging him to take her. Luke closed his lips over the very crest of her breast, pulling the aching flesh into his hot mouth and suckling deeply. Lorelai curled her fingers into the soft curls at his neck and writhed beneath him, shamelessly rubbing against the hard thigh that pressed against the apex of her legs. Luke moved to her other breast and began the maddening treatment all over again, warming the damp skin he had abandoned with the palm of his hand.

"Luke," she whispered raggedly.

"Mm hmm," Luke hummed as he sucked the hardened tip into his mouth, swirling his tongue over her teasingly.

"Please," she said in a raspy voice, pressing against his leg and circling her hips.

Luke continued to suckle her as he reached for the button on her pants and deftly opened it. He drew the zipper down as he scraped his teeth lightly over her nipple and then caught it between his teeth, biting gently. Lorelai's gasp turned into an aching moan as she gyrated. Unable to resist, Luke pressed his hand to her, cupping her sex over her clothes as she thrust against it wildly. Luke released her breast and stood up, his chest heaving as he looked down at her, his eyes smoldering with desire. He reached for the waistband of her pants and began to pull them roughly down over her hips. He snagged the elastic waistband of her bikini panties as he pulled her pants down over her thighs, pushing them down her legs. He reached for her calf and lifted her leg, hurriedly unzipping her boot and letting it fall to the floor with a thud. He stripped the pants and panties over her foot and yanked her sock of by the toe. Carefully keeping his eyes averted, he repeated the same steps on the other side, only lifting his eyes as the last scrap of clothing fell to the floor.

Luke licked his lips as he let his eyes slowly travel up her long legs, his knees weakening as he saw the triangle of dark curls that stood in sharp relief against her milky white skin. "Lorelai," he rasped as he gave in to the impulse and dropped to his knees. He ran his hands over her thighs, kneading the soft skin with his fingers as he worked his way higher. His eyes stayed riveted to those dark curls as he parted her legs, licking his lips as he pressed her legs further apart. He pressed his lips to the glistening pink flesh and inhaled deeply. Lorelai's hips jerked as she bucked up off of the table, and Luke pressed her legs up, bending them until her heels rested on the edge of the table.

"Luke," she moaned.

Luke stroked her clit softly with his tongue, noting with satisfaction as she groaned and pressed against him. He teased her; gently stroking her clit with teasing glances of his tongue, nuzzling her with his nose, raking his tongue the length of her demandingly. He used his tongue to circle her entrance, pressing into her tauntingly and then retreating to her clit, drawing it into his mouth and sucking fervently. Lorelai undulated against him, whispering words of encouragement, moaning his name, whispering pleas for release. Luke drank her in, pressing his tongue into her, thrusting rhythmically. He reached for the buckle of his belt, and opened his pants, seeking relief from the intense discomfort of his jeans. He reached to readjust his straining erection in an effort to ease the ache, and then pressed his fingers to her entrance. He drew her clit into his mouth, circling it slowly as he slipped his finger into her heat.

"Oh, yes," Lorelai cried as he thrust into her. "Oh, oh," she breathed as he stroked her mercilessly, driving her higher and higher. Lorelai cried out as she peaked, calling his name loudly as she grasped for him desperately. Luke continued to stroke her until she slowed, her moans subsiding to soft sighs as she came down.

"Incredible," Luke said in a deep throaty voice, pressing soft kisses to the insides of her thighs.

"Oh, yes," Lorelai agreed.

Luke smiled as he stood up, taking her ankles and wrapping them around his waist. "Now I know how to make you lose your words," he teased as he bent, sliding his splayed hands over her stomach and cupping a breast in each hand as he pressed his lips to the valley between her breasts.

"Oh, yes," Lorelai agreed with a feline smile. She ran her hands over his hair, smoothing the curls her fingers had ruffled and purring deep in her throat as she caressed his smooth shoulders. "Are you taking me to bed?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered.

"Soon?"

"Now," he said as he straightened up and pulled her into a sitting position. Lorelai wrapped her arms around his neck and tightened her legs at his waist. "Am I carrying you?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yes."

"Hang on," he said as he slipped his hands under her thighs and lifted her, his biceps flexing as he adjusted to her weight. "No more rolls for you," he teased as he slid one arm under her bottom and turned toward his bed.

Lorelai giggled as she buried her face in his neck. "You smell like rolls," she said as she nipped at his neck.

"Last thing I made today," he said as he lifted a knee to his narrow bed and dropped her down onto it gracelessly.

Lorelai laughed and said, "No, I am."

"Lorelai," he laughed as he followed her down onto the mattress.

"Lose the pants," she said as she pushed at the waistband of his jeans.

"I'm getting' there," Luke grumbled as he pushed himself up onto his knees.

"The boots too," she said as she nodded to his feet.

"Dammit," Luke grunted as he turned to sit on the edge of the bed. He loosened the laces on his boots and pulled his feet free. He stripped off his socks and stood up to shuck his jeans and boxers off in one swift move.

Lorelai's smile grew as he turned and crawled back up over her. "Hel-lo," she said as she reached out and ran her fingers over the length of his erection.

"Hey," he said in a hoarse voice.

"My turn," Lorelai said as she pressed on his shoulder, urging him to roll over onto his back.

Luke smiled as he acquiesced, rolling onto his back and scooting beneath her on the narrow bed. "Need a bigger bed," he said with a self-deprecating smile.

"Yes," Lorelai agreed as she straddled him and flipped her hair back over her shoulders.

"I'll get one tomorrow," Luke said as he ran his hands over her bottom. "Will you be in it?"

Lorelai smiled and said, "I'm not sure Jess would appreciate that."

"Once in awhile?"

"As often as possible." She ran her hands over his chest, memorizing the contours of him, trailing her fingers down to his narrow hips. "Are you really going shopping on Black Friday?" she asked with a grin.

"Maybe Saturday," Luke amended as he tucked her hair back behind her ear and then allowed his fingertips to trace her collarbone. "I can't believe we're here."

Lorelai's smile brightened as she trapped him beneath her damp folds, undulating slowly. A strangled groan caught in his throat as she whispered, "We're here." Lorelai leaned down and kissed him deeply, tasting herself on his lips and tongue. She lifted her hips teasing the head of his straining cock as he tried to press up into her.

Lorelai shook her head as she raised her hips higher and pressed her open mouth to his neck, letting her breath wash over him. "You're mine now," she murmured against his skin.

"Yes," he said softly. "I want you."

"You'll have me," she promised as she kissed her way down his neck to his chest.

"Now," he said in a deep gravelly voice.

"Soon."

"Need. Now," he whispered as her hair trailed over his heated skin.

"Soon," Lorelai promised again as she kissed a line down the center of his chest and over his stomach, following the thin line of hair that narrowed and then flared below his waist. She brushed her lips over the tip of him and Luke groaned loudly. Lorelai parted her lips and touched the tip of her tongue to him, lapping gently at the drop of moisture that collected there. She hummed softly and swirled her tongue around him.

Luke's voice cracked as he said, "You're killing me."

"Softly. So softly," Lorelai promised as she closed her lips around him and drew him into her mouth.

Luke brushed his fingers blindly through her hair as her tongue caressed his throbbing cock, and then tangled in her curls as she began to suck him. Luke pressed into the mattress, trying to resist the urge to thrust up into her mouth, knowing he wasn't going to be able to take much of this exquisite torture. "Lorelai," he said raggedly. Lorelai drew him deeper into her velvety soft mouth, sucking harder. "Oh God, Lorelai," Luke said as he grasped her arms and pulled her up off of him.

Lorelai looked up in surprise. "What?"

"Need you," he said as he urged her up. Lorelai climbed back up over him, pressing her lips to his stomach and chest as she made her way to him. Luke pushed his hands into her hair and pulled her up to kiss her. "Need you," he said breathlessly when they parted.

Lorelai nodded mutely and pushed away, bracing her hands on his stomach as she straddled his hips. She kept her eyes locked on his as she reached for him, stroking him softly as she positioned him at her entrance and began to sink slowly onto him. She moaned as Luke sucked in a breath, holding it until she fully enveloped him in her heat, and letting it out slowly. "You okay?" Lorelai asked.

"Never been better," he said with a low chuckle as he slid his hands up to cup her breasts.

Lorelai smiled slowly as she began to circle her hips. "Mmm, you feel good," she whispered. She began to ride him a little faster. "Good?" she asked.

Luke gave breathless laugh.

"Yes?"

"Good," he said as he brushed his thumbs over her breasts.

"Good."

"Great," Luke grunted as he ran his hands over her stomach and around to her ass. He squeezed her roughly as he thrust up into her. "Amazing," he gasped as he sat up, wrapping his arms around her tightly and pulling her down onto him. Spreading his hands over her back, Luke moved her up and down faster.

Lorelai's breath caught in her throat as she ran her hands over the corded muscles in his back, riding him hard and fast. "Yes," she panted.

Luke pushed her down with each thrust, grinding his hips up into her as the shaft of his cock stroked her clit. He felt her tightening around him, her walls squeezing him tightly in a silken vise. "I can't," he grunted, knowing he wouldn't be able to hold back much longer.

"Yes, yes," she chanted as she felt her climax building.

Luke lost all control, grasping her hips and pulling her down roughly as she rode him to completion. He shot into her filling her with his heat as she threw her head back and cried out. "Incredible," he whispered as they slowed, holding her to him tightly.

"Yeah."

Luke pushed her hair back as she slumped against him. Keeping one arm wrapped tightly around her, he lowered himself to the bed, pulling her down on top of him. He stroked her hair as her breathing slowed, letting his fingers work their way gently through her tangled curls. "Mashed potatoes," he murmured.

"Hmm?"

"I'll make you mashed potatoes every day if you want me to," he promised.

Lorelai smiled as she kissed his neck gently. "I don't need mashed potatoes every day."

"No?"

"Coffee, yes. Maybe, pie," she said as she turned her head and brushed her hair back.

Luke smiled as he smoothed her hair back, gathering it in his hand. "Anything else?"

"Maybe a kiss or two. Are those on the menu?"

"Definitely."

"Or ten," she corrected quickly.

"Done."

They lay quietly for a few minutes, reluctant to stir and dress. Lorelai traced delicate patterns through the soft hair on his chest and heaved a gusty sigh.

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to go."

Luke kissed her forehead and said softly, "I wish you could stay."

They lapsed back into silence, as Lorelai milked a few more minutes wrapped in the cocoon of his embrace. "Chili topped Pringles?" she asked hopefully.

Luke chuckled and hugged her tightly as he pressed a kiss to her lips. "Now you're pushing it."


	11. Coitus Eruptus

**A/N:** I had to post this today because **ninjasquid** hyp-mo-tized me, and I'm afraid she'll spend the whole weekend we're in KC making me quack like a duck. Admittedly, this is the most improbable chapter I have done yet, but do you really care at this point? I didn't think so.

*points finger* **Truelovepooh** made me do it. Not only did she want to see Lorelai and Luke just jump each other, but she wanted 'real' smut. You know, all awkward, with elbows and not-so-smooth moves. Oh, and no pretty lingerie either. She also decided that it could be placed in an episode that I already had written for another story. I think she did that because she knew I'd have a harder time getting Rory out of the house than I would making these two jump each other. After all, there are only so many times Mrs. Kim is gonna take the poor girl in so Lorelai can get some. So here it is, it's not pretty, but it's a little sweet in its own way.

**Coitus Eruptus**

Lorelai unwrapped another package of Pop Tarts and added them to the stack. She looked up as Rory wandered into the kitchen. "Hey, how's it going in there?" she asked as she began artfully arranging the Pop Tarts on a plate.

"Truly, completely fascinating," Rory said drolly.

"Really?"

"Well we've basically gotten no work down at all. Paris is having a meltdown, which by the way is always fun," Rory said as she watched her mother fan the assortment of toaster pastries.

"Sounds it."

Rory shrugged and said, "And, I don't know, we've just been talking."

Lorelai nodded and gave Rory a reassuring smile. "Well, I think you're actually making some friends here."

Rory rolled her eyes at her mother's optimistic outlook. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. They've basically just moved off the plan to dump the pig's blood on me at the prom, that's all."

"Talking, chatting, no work being done… There's friend potential going on," Lorelai insisted.

"Maybe. With Louise and Madeline at least," Rory conceded.

"Two out or three formerly psychotic enemies, not bad." Lorelai plopped and apple in the middle of the Pop Tart arrangement and handed the plate to Rory. "There! Pop-tart appetizers to tide you over till the pizza comes."

"Thanks," Rory said as she took the plate. "Um, that's kind of why I came in here. Do you think Luke would mind if we moved this meeting to the diner? It's kind of chaotic out there, and I think Paris' head is about to explode."

Lorelai shrugged and asked, "What about the library?"

Rory smirked and said, "It's a debate meeting. Somehow I doubt we're going to keep Paris to a whisper."

"Good point. Uh, you want me to call Luke and ask?" Lorelai asked.

"Would you? I mean, if you can get him to put a sign in his window, I figure you can get him to do anything," Rory said teasingly.

Lorelai rolled her eyes as she went to get the cordless phone. "Please," she scoffed as she came back into the kitchen, dialing with her thumb. "All you have to do is give him the Bambi eyes, toss a pencil and it's all like, 'What can I give you Rory? What can I do to make you happy? Here, take a whole pie.'" Lorelai mocked in a gruff deep voice. She made a face and stifled a giggles as the man himself answered the phone. "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah," Luke replied cautiously. His ears burned as he remembered his slightly over the top reaction to seeing Lorelai wearing Rachel's old sweatshirt.

Lorelai shooed Rory toward the living room and then covered the phone as she whispered, "Appetizers," and nodded to the plate. Rory hurried off to deliver the Pop Tart platter, and then hovered near the kitchen doorway while her mother worked her magic. "Hey, listen, Rory has some girls here from school and they are trying to work on a big, important debate project," Lorelai began as Rory looked on.

"Good for them," Luke said dryly.

"Well, you know things are pretty chaotic here, and Rory was wondering if maybe they could come and work on it there," Lorelai told him.

"Here? In the diner?" Luke asked as he stopped wiping the counter.

"Well, it's pretty important, a big part of their grade, so they need to be able to work on it, but the library is out because they have to be able to talk," she explained.

"Oh."

"We would really appreciate it," she said, her voice dripping with sincerity as she turned and winked broadly at Rory. "Did I mention that it was big and important?"

"Twice. Uh, sure, why not? It's pretty dead right now, anyway," Luke said as he rubbed his neck tiredly.

"Thanks, Luke," Lorelai said with a grin and an exaggerated nod. "I really appreciate it. Sookie had to go to the inn for a while, and I'm going kind of nuts here trying to get this stuff sorted before the crew Taylor has rounded up comes to pick it all up tonight."

"Send 'em over," Luke told her.

"You're the best!" Lorelai gushed. "Oh! And Luke?" she asked quietly as she saw Rory go back to explain the change of venue to the other girls. "If you could run a tab for them and I could pay you back next week, I would really appreciate it," she said in a low voice.

Luke paused for a moment, taken aback by Lorelai's uncharacteristic request for help. "Sure, it's no problem."

"It's just, things are a little tight. Sookie got these tickets to see the Bangles tonight, but a trip to New York wasn't really in the budget, you know, so I'm practically squeaking right now," she explained nervously.

"Lorelai, it's no big deal," Luke said uncomfortably. "Besides, they're girls, how much can they eat?"

Lorelai peeked into the living room to see the girls gathering their books and shoving Pop Tarts into jacket pockets. "Um, one of those girls is my daughter."

"Good point," Luke said with a laugh. "It's good. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Thanks, Luke. You are the best," she said with a relieved smile.

She hung up and pulled Rory aside as the others waited impatiently in the living room. "Hey, I have kind of a crazy idea."

"Those are never comforting words coming from you," Rory responded warily.

"Just consider this okay?"

"Okay."

"Now, we have four tickets to the show tonight," Lorelai began, holding up four fingers.

"Yes we do," Rory confirmed.

Lorelai peered around the corner and then said, "What if I give them to you? You take them."

Rory frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, it just seems like you guys have kind of a bonding thing going on in there, it might be fun," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"But what about you?"

Lorelai shook her head and sternly said, "No, no you and I have already bonded. In fact, if we bond any further, we will be permanently fused together."

"You've been talking about this concert since you heard about it," Rory protested.

"I can still go."

"How?"

"Sookie and I can buy cheap seats when we get there."

Rory laughed and said, "These tickets are 9th row aisle. Dream seats!"

Lorelai held her hands up and said, "Look, you don't have to do this, but I just think you have three years of Chilton ahead of you and it might be nice to have some friendly type people to talk to there. And I don't know, you guys seem to be getting along, it might be good." She smiled and said, "And I totally don't mind, I just want to see the show, I don't care from what seat."

"Are you sure?" Rory asked dubiously.

"Completely sure," Lorelai confirmed.

Two minutes later, the plan was settled and the girls made their way to Luke's to start working on the debate in earnest.

****

Luke hung up the phone and wrung the towel in his hand. He relaxed his grip, relieved that she called and everything seemed to be okay. He still felt terrible for snapping at Lorelai over that stupid sweatshirt. _I was just surprised, that's all. I just didn't expect to see it again. Definitely not on Lorelai._ It was hard enough for him to hold it all back when he saw her. Seeing her like that, well, that was almost too much. _Nothing like seeing the girl you want wearing something left behind by the girl who didn't want you,_ he thought as he refilled the bowls of sweetener packets.

He'd almost asked her out a couple of weeks before. _Almost, but not quite_. Mrs. Kim interrupted them, and then he didn't see her again until the next day. And there, in the light of day, the courage he had worked up over nutmeg laced coffee and a hand of poker fled. He blew it again, watching her face fall as he couldn't get the words out_. Instead, they now had a vague plan to play poker again sometime. Excellent work, Danes, you are a stud. __I just need to do it. It's not that hard. 'Lorelai, do you want to have dinner with me?'_ But, although Luke had played those same words over and over in his head for years, they never came out.

_Well, they're coming out now,_ he told himself sternly. _You're going to go over there, you're going to apologize for acting like an ass and then you are going to ask her out once and for all! _Luke looked up as the idea took hold. He dropped the sugar packets on the counter and hurried into the kitchen. Caesar looked up, and quickly stepped back as Luke began pulling pots and pans from the shelves. Two minutes later, he gathered two dented sauce pans and a cake pan that was worn dark from use. "We don't need these anymore," Luke muttered under his breath as he carried them from the kitchen. He placed them on the counter and rooted beneath it for a large paper bag. Once he had the pots and pan in the bag, he placed it on the floor at his feet and gathered the scattered packets of sugar.

The bells chimed and Rory walked through the door followed by three other girls her age. "I pushed a couple of tables together for you," he said as he nodded to the back of the diner. Luke shoved the rest of the packets into the bowl and reached for some menus.

"Thanks, Luke," Rory said with a big smile.

He carried the menus over to the table as the girls settled in. The blonde girl that looked like she had just sucked a lemon spread books over the entire surface as the other two looked around the diner curiously, pointing and laughing at the sign with the dancing pork chop. "You hungry?" he asked gruffly.

"Oh, that's okay, Luke," Rory said quickly.

"I've got it covered. You want cokes?" he asked, pencil poised.

"Wow, cokes," Louise breathed.

"I just know Chachi is going to walk through that door any second now," Madelyn said, her eyes fixed on the front door.

"Can it," Paris snapped, startling even Luke. "We've wasted enough time today, and if you want to go to that stupid show tonight, we need to get to work."

Luke's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Rory. When she shrugged Paris' attitude off, Luke smirked and said, "I'll bring fries," as he turned to leave.

"Who's Paul Bunyan?" Louise asked as he walked away.

"That's Luke. He owns this place," Rory explained.

"Are he and your mom an item?" Madelyn asked.

"Luke? No," Rory said as she shook her head quickly.

"Oh, well, I just wondered, since she called him and all," Madelyn said as she opened her notebook.

Louise narrowed her eyes, watching Luke as he prepared to pour their drinks. "He isn't bad looking. You know, in that rustic, backwoods, he-man sort of way."

"Luke is a very nice guy. A good friend. He does a lot of stuff for me and my mom," Rory said defensively.

Louise smirked as she turned back to Rory and said, "Oh, so they just haven't hooked up yet."

"Can we move past the mating rituals of small town America and get down to business?" Paris asked impatiently.

Madelyn turned to look at Luke and said, "They would make a cute couple. They match."

"Match?" Rory asked as she glanced nervously at Luke.

"You know, coloring. It's important that you color coordinate with your guy. They both have the dark hair. Are his eyes blue too?" Madelyn asked.

"Yes," Louise answered promptly. When the other three looked at her in surprise, she shrugged and said, "I can't help it. I notice eyes."

"He's old enough to be your father," Paris pointed out wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Barely. Besides, I wasn't checking him out for me, I was checking him out for Lorelai," Louise said with a smirk.

"Mom and Luke are just friends," Rory said firmly.

"Do you not want them to hook up?" Madelyn asked sympathetically.

Rory shook her head. "No, it's not that, it's just, it's weird. She's my mom. Luke is our friend. A good friend," she stammered.

"What better way to start a love affair?" Louise said with shrug.

"They do flirt a lot," Rory speculated. She turned and saw Luke round the counter with both hands full of cups. She shook her head and said in a hushed voice, "No. There's nothing going on between my mom and Luke."

"Yet," Madelyn said in a quiet sing-song voice.

"There should be," Louise murmured. She smiled up at Luke brightly and cooed, "Ooh, Cokes."

"Caesar will bring you some fries, I'm gonna run out for a little bit, got some stuff to drop off," Luke told Rory, casting a nervous glance at the other three young women.

"Cool. Thanks, Luke," Rory said as she found herself struggling to meet his eyes.

Luke nodded and hurried back behind the counter. "Caesar? I'm out for a while," he called into the kitchen. He picked up the bag holding the pots and pan and poked his head in to see Caesar carefully putting all of the cookware Luke had pulled out back in place. "Hey, uh, don't worry about Rory and her friends, just give them whatever they want," he instructed.

"Okay, Boss," Caesar said with a quick nod.

"And keep the radio down," Luke grumbled as he tucked the bag under his arm and headed for the door.

****

Lorelai sat on the living room floor surrounded by bags and piles of clothes. She folded a men's sweater and placed it on a pile to her left. As she inspected another shirt for rips and tears, she glanced over at the teetering pile, three faded plaid flannels near the bottom catching her eye. She dropped the dress shirt she held to her lap and reached out to touch the soft green and brown plaid fabric. _Luke has a broken heart,_ she thought sadly. _Poor Luke. Maybe I should kiss it and make it better,_ Lorelai thought, a feline smile curving her lips. _That would freak him out. Hmm. Kissing Luke's chest. There were probably worse things to do. _She caught herself stroking the worn flannel and yanked her hand back. Lorelai quickly began folding the shirt in her lap. _Get a grip, Gilmore,_ she told herself. _I'd like to get a grip_, that naughty voice in her head answered. _A nice big handful of hunky diner man. Preferably two. I'd kiss that broken heart of his and then take a nice juicy bite out of him._

Lorelai reached for another sweater and shook it out with a sharp flick of her wrists. "You are hard up," she told herself. _Not that you have to be hard up to want Luke, just that you have to be hard up to sit in the middle of your living room floor folding other people's clothes and thinking about molesting one of your best friends,_ she mocked herself. _Friends, friends, we're just friends. It's like my own personal mantra,_ Lorelai thought with a snort. _We're we always going to be just friends? Was he interested in being more than friends? Sometimes I think so. Sometimes, no. I could have sworn that he was going to ask me out,_ she thought with a frown as she tossed a pair of pants into the 'beyond repair' pile to her right.

_Maybe I should just grab him and plant one on him. What would he do?_ she wondered. _I know what I would do. I'd toss him down, peel that flannel right off of him and lick him like a giant lollypop,_ she mused as she reached into the bag and came up with one crumpled and slightly crusty sock. Lorelai yelped loudly and tossed the sock over her shoulder before scrambling to her feet, waving her hand wildly. "Ew, ew, ew!" she muttered as she ran for the kitchen sink. She washed her hands thoroughly and dried them on a wad of paper towels that could have mopped up every spill Nancy Walker had ever made. "Nice, very nice," she mumbled as she walked back toward her living room. She stopped in the doorway and rested her knuckles on her hips as she surveyed the wreckage. "Thank God this is almost over," she said with a sigh. She picked up the crusty sock with the wad of paper towels and grunted her annoyance as her bra strap slipped from her shoulder on her way to the trash can.

Someone knocked on the door, and Lorelai groaned and called, "We don't want any," as she tugged her bra strap back into place and then pulled the door open. Her hand flew to the bandana on her head as she saw Luke standing there holding a brown bag. "Oh, hey," she said, wishing she could yank the scarf from her head, but afraid that what may lie underneath it may be even more frightening.

"Hi. Uh, the girls are all set up. I just, I had a few more, um, things to bring by," he said as he nodded to the bag he held. _Easy, easy. Just take it easy. Nice and simple. Dinner or a movie or something, _he coached himself.

"Please tell me it's not clothing," she said tiredly.

"Couple of pots and a pan," Luke said with a shrug.

"Ah, well, come on in," Lorelai said as she stepped back. She jerked her head toward the kitchen and said, "You know the drill." She walked back into the living room and glared at the mess.

Luke dropped the bag into a larger box of kitchen supplies and then found her standing in the middle of the living room scowling at the piles of trash bags and clothing. "How are you gonna get all of this crap out of here?" he asked as he stepped into the room.

Lorelai smiled wanly. "Taylor has a crew lined up. They're coming over this evening to unload the joint."

"I thought you were going to New York tonight," Luke said with a confused frown.

"We are. I told Taylor to just have at it," she said with a shrug.

Luke stared at her in disbelief. "You mean you're just gonna leave a bunch of people to take whatever they want from your house?"

"Not much to take, Luke," Lorelai said pointedly.

"Still, you can't just leave them here."

"Hey, I may give up the good seats for my kid, but I am not missing the Bangles for a rummage sale," Lorelai said with a pointed stare.

Luke looked around, shaking his head. "If you want I can come by. Make sure your TV doesn't walk off."

Lorelai smirked as she looked over at her ancient television. "Not sure, but I think it may need a wheelchair. At least a walker."

"Lorelai," Luke sighed impatiently.

"I love it when you say my name like that," she said with a saucy grin. Lorelai dropped her voice to a husky whisper as she took a step toward him. "Do it again, Luke. I don't think I got all of the annoyance the first time."

"I'm serious," he said gruffly.

"Oh, I know you are," Lorelai teased in that sexy voice. She reached out and pressed her hand to his chest. "How could any girl resist you?" she purred.

"You've lost your mind. All of this," he said as she gestured to the room, "has finally given you that little push."

"It beats," Lorelai said as she cocked her head, raising her eyes from her hand to his face. "It's not broken?"

"What?"

"Your heart," she answered softly.

"My heart? What are you talking about?" Luke asked.

"I'll give you the sweatshirt back," Lorelai said, the playful tone long gone.

"Sweatshirt?" Luke asked with a puzzled frown. "Oh! The sweatshirt," he breathed as realization dawned. "Nah, I don't want it."

"Did she break your heart?" she asked, looking up at him shyly even as her bold hand rested on his shirt.

Luke licked his lips nervously and said, "That was a long time ago."

"Is it better now?"

"Yeah, better," he said as he looked at her intently, holding himself as still as he possibly could. Lorelai waited a few beats, trying to channel all of her telepathic powers, waiting for him to ask. "What are you doing?" he asked in a low soft voice.

"Waiting," Lorelai answered.

Luke tilted his head a bit and asked, "For what?"

"For you to ask."

"Ask what?"

Lorelai watched him for a moment, noting how he was having to force his eyes from her lips to her eyes, how his breathing seemed to pick up, how his body sway slightly toward her as if caught in her gravitational pull. "Okay, done waiting," she whispered. Lorelai lifted her hand from his chest and placed it on his cheek, pulling him down to kiss him.

The moment her lips brushed his, Luke sprang to life. His hands curled around her hips, pulling her closer as she tried to pull back. His lips sought hers again, capturing them and caressing them firmly but gently. Lorelai pulled back and whispered, "I was waiting for you to ask me out."

"Tomorrow? Monday?" Luke asked eagerly.

"Tomorrow works," Lorelai confirmed.

"Good," Luke said as he bent his head again. Lorelai tipped hers to the right as he went to his left, and their noses collided. Lorelai giggled nervously as she cupped his cheek again to hold him still, and made the necessary adjustments. They kissed softly, their lips tentative at first. "I'm not complaining," Luke said between kisses. "But what just happened?"

"I kissed you," Lorelai said as she pecked another kiss to his lips. "And then you asked me out. Finally," she added, punctuating the word with a firm kiss.

"About damn time," Luke said as he pulled her flush against him and kissed her passionately.

Lorelai's hands slipped down to his chest and her fingers curled into the soft flannel he wore. "My thought exactly," she said breathlessly when they came up for air.

Luke shut her up with another kiss, this time parting his lips and teasing hers with the tip of his tongue. Lorelai hummed her approval as she opened her mouth, drawing him in as she pressed against him, enjoying the feel of her breasts smashed against his hard chest. She leaned into him and Luke took a step back, pulling her with him in an effort to get to the couch. Instead, his heel caught on a trash bag filled with unwanted clothing, and a pile of shirts attacked the back of his knee. His legs went out from under him, and he grasped her hips harder in an effort to steady himself. He tumbled back into the mountain of bags and piles of fabrics, pulling Lorelai down on top of him. "Ugh."

Lorelai laughed as she looked down at him buried in the Hefty wasteland. "Watch your step," she said with a brilliant smile.

"Forgot where I was," Luke said, a smile blooming as he looked up into her dancing blue eyes. He reached up, tugged at the end of the bright green bandana covering her head, and then smoothed his hand over it, pulling it from her curls.

Lorelai smiled sheepishly as she raised a self-conscious hand to her hair. "Haven't gotten pretty yet today."

"Pretty every day," Luke answered as he cupped the back of her neck and pulled her down to kiss her. Luke fingers fought their way into the tangled curls, burying themselves the soft, dark mass as he parted her lips again, stroking her tongue sensuously with his. Lorelai freed her hand from a pile of shoes and boots and lowered herself down onto him fully, drowning in his kiss. She circled her hips, pressing hard onto the rigid bulge in his jeans.

"Aah," Luke whispered against her lips as he snaked a hand between their bodies and readjusted himself through his jeans. "Uh, sorry, better," he said as he kissed her hurriedly, anxious to distract her from his embarrassment.

"Much better," Lorelai whispered as she undulated against him.

"Stop that," Luke grunted as he wrapped his arms around her and rolled her over, pressing her down into the black plastic abyss.

"Hey!" she protested.

Luke simply smiled as he held his body away from hers, leaning in on his arms to kiss her again. "Creepy, isn't it?"

"Very," Lorelai said softly as she stroked his cheek. "Got a couch in here somewhere."

"It's probably better that we don't find it," Luke said with a chuckle.

"Not from where I'm laying."

"What, you don't like makin' out next to Mrs. Lanahan's housecoats?" Luke teased.

"How do you know they're hers? Have you seen Mrs. Lanahan in her housecoat?" Lorelai asked with a laugh.

Luke's smile was slow and devilish as he said, "Many, many times."

"Really?" Lorelai raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips as if she were impressed.

"Grew up next door," Luke said with a nod. "I was her paperboy."

"So you got around," Lorelai said with a nod.

"If it makes you feel any better, this is the first time I've kissed a girl in a garbage dump," he said with a wry smile.

"Hey! This is my living room," she said as she took a playful swat at his chest.

"Sorry, couldn't see that for the huge heaps of junk no one wants," Luke said with a smirk.

Lorelai pulled on his arms until he lowered his body to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down. She kissed him sweetly and murmured, "Shut up," against his lips. They kissed softly, exploring each others mouths, noting the exact taste, touch and feel of one another's lips against theirs. Each kiss grew deeper, taking a little more, giving as much as they dared to in the moment until the need became unbearable. Lorelai slid her hands down his back, curling her fingers into the soft fabric of his shirt as he trailed fiery kisses along her jaw. She smiled as she felt the worn flannel beneath her fingertips, gathering it into her hands and pulling hard as she tugged his t-shirt free from his jeans. When she felt it give, she immediately sought the warm smooth skin of his back, moaning as he sucked gently on her neck and the muscles bunched under her soft caress.

She pulled his shirts up higher, struggling against the material trapped between them. Luke bit her throat gently, and then groaned in frustration as he pushed himself up to his knees and looked down at her, his chest heaving with excitement. He grasped at his collars and pulled both shirts up over his head, tangling his hat in them as he tried in vain to yank his hands free of the cuffs. Lorelai chuckled as she sat up suddenly, the top of her head hitting his chin and knocking his teeth together. "Ow," he winced.

"Sorry," she said breathlessly. Lorelai pressed her lips to the center of his chest, feeling his heart beating madly against her lips. Her lips curved into a smile as he continued to struggle to free his hands. She leaned back and reached for his hand, pushing the shirt back and gently unbuttoning the first cuff before turning her attention to his other hand.

Luke offered her a small smile and said, "Sorry."

"Big hands," Lorelai murmured as she pulled the shirts from his arms and tossed them in the general direction of the sofa, his hat flying onto the coffee table. She grasped both of his wrists and guided his hands to her breasts as she said, "Put them on me."

"Oh, geez," Luke murmured under his breath as he followed her back down onto the bags. He braced one elbow near her head, his hand tangling in her hair while he stroked her breast with the other. He kissed her passionately, his tongue tangoing with hers as he kneaded the soft mound, pressing his arousal against her leg. With a groan, he slid his hand down to the hem and began working her shirt up over her stomach. When he reached the satiny fabric of her bra, he found himself thwarted by a thin layer of foam padding. He tore his mouth from hers and began to sit up again.

"Agggh!" Lorelai cried as he hand flew to her head.

"What? Oh!" Luke reached to untangle the lock of hair from his watchband as he muttered, "Sorry, sorry." He leaned down and kissed her head, massaging the afflicted spot with his fingertips as he pulled back. "Sorry," he whispered again.

"S'okay," Lorelai said with a slight frown.

Luke kissed that frown away. His hands slipped under her shirt again as he knelt above her and stroking her waist and ribs. "This okay?" he asked in a soft raspy voice.

"Yes," Lorelai whispered back.

Luke pulled her up a little, tugging the snug cotton baseball shirt up over her breasts and waiting patiently for her to raise her arms. Lorelai's eyes widened and she had a moment of panic as she searched her memory, trying to remember if she had given her underarms a swipe with the razor in the past day or two. Luke cocked his head as he looked down at her and then said, "Or no?"

"No, I mean yes," Lorelai stammered, lifting her arms for him to remove the shirt and then quickly lowering them. The ancient bra she wore let her down again as one strap slipped off of her shoulder, falling almost to her elbow. Luke pressed his lips to her collarbone, kissing his way to her shoulder as he wrestled with the catch on her bra. Lorelai reached behind her back to help and said, "Sorry, it's old. Kind of beat up."

When she unhooked it and slid the straps slid down her arms, Luke smiled and said, "I used to be better at that."

"Out of practice?" she asked as she wrapped her fingers around his arms, keeping her won pressed to her sides until she could assess the underarm situation.

"A bit. It'll all come back to me," he said with a smirk.

"It'll be easier with a bra that hasn't gone through the washer a billion times. I'm not real good about that," she admitted as she rubbed the tips of her breasts teasingly against the soft hair on his chest. When his breath hitched, Lorelai moaned softly and pressed her lips to his. She kissed him heatedly, curling her fingers into his biceps as he spread one hand over her back, crushing her to him. Luke planted one hand on a plastic bag stuffed with clothing and leaned into it as he pressed her back. Lorelai accidentally bit his lip and then yelped as the bag slid out from under his weight and she hit the cool floor.

"This is stupid," Luke said breathlessly. He touched his fingers to his lip and blinked at the tiny spot of blood left there.

"I'm sorry, it just startled me," Lorelai said quickly. She laced her fingers into his soft curls and pulled him back down, kissing his lower lip tenderly. "Sorry," she whispered.

"We're making out on top of a heap of old clothes," Luke pointed out.

Lorelai tightened her grip on his arm as she asked, "If I let you go, do you promise you'll go no further than the couch?"

Luke's eyebrows shot up and he laughed nervously. "Uh, you don't think we should stop?"

"No," she said as she shook her head emphatically.

"No?" he asked, shocked.

"I don't want to stop," she said softly.

"But, we're, and the thing," Luke stammered as he gestured around the room. "We're going out tomorrow night," he reminded her in a deep, throaty voice.

"I want you," Lorelai said plainly.

Luke felt the air escape his lungs and for a moment, feared he'd never get it back. "You do?" he asked, the words slipping past the filter before he could suppress them. Lorelai nodded, her eyes locked on his, her lips parted in nervous anticipation. Luke blinked a couple of times and then a soft laugh rumbled from his chest. "You're not just messing with me are you?"

"Not messing," Lorelai answered, her lips curving into a sly smile. "I'd like to be screwing with you, though."

"Hey!" Luke said, offended.

"Come on! That was funny," she cajoled as she gave his arm a squeeze.

"Is this happening? Am I really here with you on a pile of Glad bags?" he asked as he started to chuckle.

"You forgot the half naked part," she reminded him.

"So didn't plan on this happening," Luke murmured as he pulled back.

Lorelai tightened her grip on him and said, "Hey, hey, hey! Where are you going?"

"The couch."

"The couch?" she asked as she gave him a knowing look.

Luke kissed her hard and then pulled back with a grin. "I may not be the quickest guy, Lorelai, but even I know that when the woman you want says she wants you too, you don't get up and start looking for your shirt."

"You don't?" Lorelai asked teasingly.

"I don't," Luke clarified. He sat back his hands sliding down her arms until he grasped her hands. He rocked back on his heels and stood up, stumbling slightly as he stepped on a pile of children's clothes.

Lorelai glanced down as he pulled her to her feet, and giggled as she looked up into his eyes. "Man, the things we were about to do in front of poor Elmo."

"I know," Luke answered solemnly.

She glanced down self-consciously as he led her over to the couch. "Never been half naked in my living room," she murmured.

"Me either," Luke answered with equal solemnity. Lorelai caught the small smile playing at his lips as he dropped down onto the couch and then pulled her into his lap.

"Really? 'Cause I just had a really funny image of you prancing around in here half-naked while Rory and I are asleep," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"No," he chuckled. As she began to kiss along his jaw, Luke smiled and murmured, "I woulda run. Really fast. No prancing."

Lorelai nipped at his pink tipped ear and whispered, "You're blushing."

"Am not."

"Okay, you're not," she whispered as she drew his ear lobe into her mouth and sucked gently.

"Maybe a little," he admitted hoarsely.

"Is this crazy?" she asked softly.

"Completely insane," Luke answered as he turned and tumbled her down onto the couch. He ran his hands slowly up over her stomach, spanning her ribcage with his long fingers, and finally cupping her breasts in his hands as he leaned down and pressed his lips to her stomach. He shifted onto his knees, kissing his way up over her breastbone, his whiskers scraping against her soft skin.

"Crazy good," she said with a smug smile as she ran her hands through his hair.

Luke smiled against her skin, nuzzling the soft valley between her breasts as he slid his hands up over her shoulders and slowly down the length of her arms. He pulled her fingers from his hair, tangling his with hers and softly kissing one furled pink nipple as he began to raise her arms up over her head.

Lorelai sighed softly, but then froze, resisting the force of his hands. Luke immediately looked up in confusion. She gave him a shy smile and then said, "I wasn't, uh, this wasn't really on the agenda for the day."

"Uh, okay," he said slowly.

"I'm not as, uh, primped as I would like to be under the, er, circumstances," she said with a grimace.

"Primped?"

"You know, um, all neatened up and stuff," she said uncomfortably.

"I don't get it," he said blankly.

"Shaved, Luke. I haven't shaved my legs, or you know," she said impatiently as she glanced down at her arms. "It's Saturday. I was gonna do that before we went out tonight."

Luke frowned for a second and then snorted softly. "You really think I care?"

"Well, I care," she shot back. "Bad enough that I had that ugly old bra on."

Luke chuckled and then asked, "Do you want me to stop?"

"No."

"Well, then, I'm not real clear on what to do here. You don't want me to stop, and I just said I didn't care," he said as he looked at her pointedly.

"I'm not feeling at my best," she said with a slight pout.

Luke smiled and asked, "You want me to tell you that you look beautiful?"

"Not if you don't mean it," Lorelai answered petulantly.

Luke leaned down and kissed her tenderly. He lifted her arms up over her head and let his hands trail lightly down the insides of her arms. "I think you're beautiful," he said in a low, soft voice.

"My bikini line is like a jungle," she whispered against his lips.

"Me Tarzan," Luke answered as he began to kiss his way down her neck.

"I'm wearing Sunday underpants," she warned as he feathered kisses over the freckles on her chest.

"It's Saturday, close enough." Luke drew one pink tipped nipple into his mouth and sucked deeply.

"The elastic is ripped out," Lorelai panted as she arched into him, holding him firmly to her breast.

Luke chuckled as he moved to her other breast and said, "Is it weird that that turns me on?"

Lorelai laughed out loud, beaming up at the living room ceiling. "Okay, you win."

Luke's eyes flashed to hers and then back down to her breast as he circled the nipple with the tip of his tongue. He shifted, bracing one hand on the back of the couch as he drew her into his mouth, soothing the beaded tip with his velvety soft tongue. He heard her breath catch in her throat and groaned as he sucked harder, demanding more. "We have to hurry," she said breathlessly when he finally relinquished her nipple, nuzzling her breast gently with his nose.

"I know," Luke answered as he began to kiss his way down her stomach. "Dinner or a movie?" he asked.

"Both," Lorelai answered, sucking in a breath as he unbuttoned her jeans.

Luke looked up at her as he sat back and began to draw her zipper down. "You think maybe we're doing this backwards?" he asked.

"I don't care how we do it, I just want to do it," Lorelai said as she stared up at him boldly.

Luke smirked as he parted the snug denim, trailing his fingers along her flat stomach and teasing along the top of her bikini panties. "Aren't you going to say it?"

"I meant for that to be dirty," she said with a slight shrug.

"I see," Luke said in a deep gruff voice.

"Hurry," she urged.

As Lorelai lifted her hips and began to work the tight denim down over her hips, revealing a pair of faded yellow panties edged in red elastic that read 'Never, never on a Sunday' across the front. A bark of laughter escaped his lips, and Lorelai's already flushed cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink. He looked up at her, his eyes bright as he smiled and said, "Good thing I didn't wait for tomorrow."

Lorelai laughed and said, "I wouldn't have worn them tomorrow, so you never would have known."

Luke tugged and pulled her jeans down over her long legs, finally moving off of the couch to pull them from her feet. He hooked a finger into each pink and yellow argyle sock and slipped them off, dropping them on top of the twisted denim on the floor. Wrapping his hands around her calves, he looked up and drank in the sight of her bare except for the scrap of yellow and red cotton. "Wow," he breathed, unaware that he actually spoke the word out loud.

Lorelai laughed nervously. "Weird?" she asked.

"Not what I was thinking."

"What were you thinking?"

Luke began to run his hands up her legs, the tiny prickle of stubble tickling his palms. "I was thinking 'wow'," he said with a small smile. He spread his fingers over her thighs, parting her legs with his palms as his hands moved steadily higher. He ran one finger under the edge of some loose red elastic at the leg of her panties and said, "I thought I was kidding but, but this does, wow…"

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah," Luke breathed as he continued to finger the loose elastic. "Oh yeah," he said as he bent over and pressed his lips to the faded yellow cotton, completely negating the second 'never' as Lorelai pushed up to meet him. His warm breath seeped through the material as he slid his finger along the leg of her panties, groaning against her as it brushed against her soft folds. Lorelai thrust against his hand, urging him on. Luke parted her with his finger and found her warm and damp with desire. He pulled the panties aside roughly, oblivious to the ripping sound of the elastic giving way further as he pressed his mouth to her hungrily. He grunted in frustration as he tried to move further down on the couch, seeking a better angle. Lorelai tried to lift her leg to drape it over the back of the couch, but Luke moved at the same time and was rewarded with a kick to the temple.

"Ah, crap!" he grunted as he automatically covered his head with his hand.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry," Lorelai said in a rush. I was trying, more room," she said as she sat up.

"Its okay, it's okay," Luke said quickly as he held out a hand to stop her. He chuckled as he pressed her back gently, unfolding his body to stretch out over her. "Two tall people, one couch." He kissed her, reassuring her that all was well. "You just have to wake me up every two hours, in case it's a concussion," he teased.

"Let's, uh, switch," Lorelai suggested.

"Huh?"

"You lie down," she said as she pushed at his shoulders.

"Oh, yeah, okay," Luke said as he scrambled up off of her. Lorelai stood up and watched as he stretched out on her couch. His broad shoulders filled the cushions and then taped down to a narrow waist still encased in denim. She smiled softly as she eyed the impressive bulge in his jeans, and then slipped her own fingers into the top of her panties. She watched his eyes darken and his lips part with desire as she shimmied out of the panties, and then moved to kneel on the couch, straddling his hips.

The breath Luke hadn't realized he was holding escaped in a rush as his hands settled into the soft curve of her waist and he looked up at her. "Wow."

Lorelai's smile was slow, creeping across her face and lighting her eyes as she grasped the meaning of the simple statement. By the time it reached full wattage, Luke sat up, pressing his lips to her throat and nipping at the smooth column hungrily. Lorelai reached between them and began to unbutton his jeans. She pressed him back with one gentle push as she lowered his zipper, smiling as she inched cautiously back down over his legs. "No quick moves," she warned him.

"No."

She parted his jeans and saw that he wore a pair of snug briefs that were once white, but were now washed to a dull grey. Luke saw the flicker of disappointment on her face, turn into a smirk and said, "Laundry. I, uh, have better."

Lorelai's smile grew as she asked, "Better tighty whiteys?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "They're just underwear."

"I'll get you better underwear," Lorelai said as she began to work the jeans and the offending underpants down over his hips.

"Careful," Luke said as she pulled with a little too much enthusiasm.

"If I hurt you, I promise I'll kiss it and make it better," Lorelai said with a chuckle. Luke's eyes widened as he sucked in a breath. She worked his jeans and briefs down to his knees and then murmured, "Good enough," as she moved back up over him again.

"I feel so cheap," Luke said with a wry smile. "Oh, uh," he said as he quickly moved his hand before it could get caught beneath her knee. A strangled groan caught in his chest as she wrapped her fingers around his erection and slowly trailed them from base to tip. Luke watched with slumberous eyes as she rose above him, her pale skin glowing in the afternoon sunlight filtering through the sheer curtains. She ran her thumb over the head of his cock and the groan broke free. He rose up, pressing his lips to her chest, scattering kisses over the faint golden freckles that dusted her skin. He stilled as she stroked him a little more firmly, pressing his lips to the soft flesh and feeling her heart beat beneath.

"It beats," she whispered.

Luke released her, falling back to the cushions as he reached to still her hand. When Lorelai looked at him questioningly, he pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "We might be getting a little carried away. It's, er, been a while," he said gruffly.

"A while?"

"A while," Luke answered with a pointed stare. "I'm not, uh, prepared."

"Prepared?" she asked as he let go of her hand. She ran her fingers over his chest, following the thin line of hair that that funneled down his stomach.

"I didn't, it's not like I thought… Prepared. I, I don't have anything," he said uncomfortably.

"Oh." Lorelai paused for a second and said, "Well, um, I have the, uh, birth control part covered. And, um, I'm good, you know, otherwise."

Luke licked his lips nervously and said, "Okay. Yeah, well, me too. Been a while," he added again with a nervous quirk of his lips.

Lorelai trailed her fingers lightly over his shaft, watching as he twitched and jumped in response. "I want this."

"I want you," Luke said quietly. Lorelai wet her lips as he reached up to smooth his fingertips down the column of her throat. He cupped her breast, running his thumb over the beaded pink crest as he looked up at her. "I only want you." He let his fingers trail over her skin, watching as she shivered slightly and her nipples tightened when he stroked the soft curls between her legs. He dipped one finger into her folds, an involuntary moan of appreciation escaping his lips as he began to circle her clit with the pad of his middle finger.

Lorelai began to stroke him again. Luke closed his eyes, giving himself over to her touch and mirroring each caress with his fingertips. When she began to stroke him harder and faster, he thrust one finger into her, and Lorelai cried out as she began to ride his hand. His breath came in short labored puffs as he opened his eyes, unable to resist watching the play of pleasure on her face. He clasped her wrist with his other hand, stilling her as he continued to stroke her. "Now, Lorelai," he whispered in a deep rumble.

"Yes, now," she agreed as she rose up over him and guided him into her. She sank down onto him slowly, each inch a mixture of heaven and hell as he fought the urge to thrust into her, filling her completely. Lorelai closed her eyes as she paused for a moment, enjoying the feel of him completely immersed in her. "You feel so good," she said softly as she began to move. She rose up slowly, the muscles in her thighs tensing as she lowered herself with even more deliberation. "So good," she moaned as she began to move faster.

Luke gaped at her, unable to form a thought, much less a word. His fingers splayed over her ass as he watched her ride him, each time faster, each thrust deeper, driving him harder as her head fell back and she reached to cup her bouncing breasts. He felt his body surge and his eyes widened with panic in the moment that he realized there would be no stopping it. "Lorelai," he panted hoarsely.

"Oh, yes, Luke," Lorelai answered as she rode him with abandon. There was a slight hitch in her chest, and she caught her breath when she felt his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her ass and he filled her, his body spasming with release.

"No, no, no," he breathed, squeezing his eyes shut in mortification. "Oh God, no."

Lorelai slowed, blinking her eyes in confusion as she asked, "Luke?"

The sound of his name on her lips galvanized him into action. He sat up, pressing his fingers to her clit and stroking her desperately as his other hand clamped on her hip signaled her to keep moving. He pressed his face to her neck, unable to look at her as he fought to bring her to completion. "Hey," she said softly.

"No," he answered stubbornly.

"Hey," she called again as she placed her hands on either side of his head and tried to pull him back to look at her.

"Please, no," he breathed into her hair.

"It's okay."

"No, its not," he said darkly.

Lorelai reached between them and pulled his hand away from her, and Luke groaned as his shoulders slumped in defeat. She hugged him to her tightly and whispered, "Really, it is."

"Ah geez," Luke muttered as he shook his head and pushed away from her. He fell back to the cushions, covering his face with his hands and scrubbing them over his eyes.

"No, really, that was…"

"Bad," he finished baldly.

"No, no. It wasn't bad," she assured him quickly.

"What then? Fast? Quick and easy?" he asked bitterly. Luke kept his eyes closed as he pressed his cheeks together and pulled on his lips, inhaling deeply. "Disappointing? How about premature? Jesus Christ," he groaned. He crossed his arms over his eyes as he chuckled ruefully. "All these years. All this time I've been thinking about this, about you, us. Oddly enough, not one of the ten million scenarios in my head had this happening," he said gruffly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Years? Ten million scenarios?" Lorelai asked. Frustrated by his inability to even look at her, she clamped her hands around his forearms and pulled back. "Would you at least look at me?" she asked in frustration.

Luke opened his eyes and shook his head slowly as he said, "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing," she ordered. "Hey," she cajoled, waiting until he finally met her eyes. "We're okay, right?" she asked uncertainly. "I mean, it was our first time, and yeah, things may have gotten a little out of hand, but first times can be like that, right?" she asked, shifting slightly as she covered her breasts with her arms.

Luke blinked up at her, trying to process the words 'first time' as he puzzled out her suddenly self-conscious behavior. "Oh. Lorelai, no. I mean yes," he said as he sat up and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He smoothed his hand over her hair and said, "I just… Man, I thought I blew it. I mean, I know I did, but I was thinking that, you know, you wouldn't…" he stumbled over the words. He sat back and looked her square in the eye. "I can do so much better than that," he promised her. "Gimme another chance?"

"Right now?" she asked uncertainly, suddenly hyper aware of their surroundings.

Luke looked around the cram packed living room and shook his head. "Tomorrow. We still have a date, right?" he asked quickly. He kissed her lips softly. "I owe you. I really owe you."

Lorelai nodded, her smile was relieved as she said, "You do."

"I'll make it up to you. I promise."

They heard a car door slam, and Lorelai's head whipped around to the windows. "Oh my God," she said as she scrambled off of him. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," she whispered in a horrified tone. "Rory." She peeked out of the window to see Rory talking to Madelyn and Louise outside of the car while Paris sat in the driver's seat gripping the wheel. "Rory!" she cried as she grabbed her jeans and socks from the floor. "Where the hell are my underpants?"

Luke yanked his briefs and jeans up over his hips as he said, "They were with the jeans."

"You took them off later," Lorelai reminded him as she scanned the floor frantically. "Forget it," she said as she began shoving her leg into the jeans. "Oh God, what was I thinking? I'll tell you what I was thinking, I was thinking let's get Luke naked," she rambled as she forced her other leg into the tangled denim.

Luke vaulted over the back of the couch, skidding to a stop on a pile of women's clothing. "I can't find my shirt," Luke called from the other side of the couch. He rose up and tossed her t-shirt toward the couch as he said, "Here's yours. And this," he said as he flung her bra over the back. "Where did you throw my shirts?"

"I don't know," Lorelai hissed as she hooked her bra and scooped the straps up onto her shoulders. She pulled her shirt over her head and tried to force her arms through the inside-out sleeves as she skirt the end of the couch and looked around for his t-shirt and flannel. "Here, this is yours, put this on," she said as she plucked the green and brown plaid flannel she had folded so neatly earlier that day from a jumbled pile and tossed it at his bare chest.

Luke quickly pulled the flannel over his head, pushing his arms through the too short sleeves. "This wasn't mine," he said as he buttoned the remaining buttons.

"What?" Lorelai asked as she looked up from pulling her socks on. She glanced over at him and saw that the shirt in question barely skimmed the waistband of his jeans and the buttons pulled across his chest. She burst out laughing when she saw him. "Oh! Whose is that?"

Luke looked down at the sleeves and said, "My guess would be, Stanley Appleman. The new guy over at the hardware store?"

"I think it was Jerry Cutler's," Lorelai guessed.

"Well, it's not mine," Luke said as he looked down at it.

They heard two more car doors slam and Lorelai peeked out of the window to see Rory walking up to the porch. "Too late now, act like it's yours."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm so good at that," Luke said dryly.

"Mom?" Rory called as she opened the front door.

"In the room formerly known as the living room," Lorelai answered. "Be cool," she whispered to Luke.

"Hey, Rory," Luke said too loudly, adding a nervous wave when she stepped into the room.

"Not cool," Lorelai muttered under her breath. "Luke and I were just fighting about this shirt. He thought it was one of his, but I kept telling him it was too small," she babbled. Lorelai turned to Luke and smirked as she said, "See? I told you."

"Yeah, you did," Luke mumbled, blushing beet red.

"I think Mrs. Cutler dropped those off. She seemed upset. Kept mumbling about magnolia blossoms," Rory told them.

"How'd it go?" Lorelai asked brightly.

"Uh, okay," Rory said as her gaze shifted from her mother to Luke and back again. "We didn't get much done. Madelyn and Louise are too keyed up about tonight. I told Paris I'd put some notes together before they got back here, and she could add to them tomorrow."

Lorelai spied Luke's shirts mixed in with another pile of clothes and took a step to her right to block them from Rory's view. "Well, sorry for providing another distraction. I just thought it would be good," Lorelai said sheepishly.

"No, it is. They are really excited," Rory told her quickly.

"I should get back to the diner," Luke said in a low voice.

Lorelai turned to look at him and said, "You gonna go like that?" She bent down and pulled his shirts from the pile.

"Oh, yeah, I should change," he said looking chagrined as he took them from her. "I'll just, uh, go out back again," he said as he edged past Lorelai and then rushed past Rory on his way to the back porch.

Rory turned to look as he hurried out the back door and then turned back around to stare at Lorelai. "Your shirt is on inside out," she pointed out.

"What?" Lorelai asked innocently as she looked down at her shirt, mentally cursing herself.

Rory nodded and said, "We'll talk later. You should give Luke the all clear before he has a stroke," she added as she turned to go to her room.

"Sweets," Lorelai called after her.

Rory paused, chewing her lip as she stood hovering just outside of her bedroom door. She didn't look up as she asked, "This wasn't just a, uh, you know, was it?"

"Hon, I'm sorry," Lorelai said as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Are you guys gonna, are you a couple?" Rory asked worriedly.

"Well, kind of," Lorelai admitted softly. She glanced nervously at the back door and then turned back to Rory. "It just happened," she said, pleading for understanding.

"But, you're not just. Oh my God," she whispered, clearly mortified. "It's more than that, right?" she asked hopefully.

"Oh yeah, yeah. You know, he's Luke. Definitely more than that," Lorelai said quickly.

Rory nodded and stepped into her room. She looked back at Lorelai before closing the door and said, "Go get him before he runs away."

"Good call," Lorelai said as she hurried to the back door. She saw Luke hovering on the porch, the green and brown plaid shirt bunched in his hand.

"Oh, she knows," he said with a bitter laugh. "Man, I suck today," he said as he ran his hand through his hair. "My hat is in there somewhere, but I can never step foot in your house again."

"She knows, but she's okay," Lorelai said as she stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

Luke turned to her, twisting the flannel in his hands as he asked, "Can we forget this? I mean, not the date part, but everything else?" he added hopefully.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "I don't plan on forgetting it."

"I'll make you a pie. One of your very own," he offered. "Any flavor you want."

"I'm not forgetting it, and neither are you. You owe me," she said as she kissed him lightly on the lips and gently pried the flannel from his hands. "Stay right here, I'll get your hat," she said softly. Lorelai dashed into the house and returned a moment later without the flannel, but with his blue ball cap.

"What time should I pick you up?" he asked as he took it and placed it on his head.

"We can talk about that when I see you at breakfast."

Luke nodded and said, "I should go." He walked over to the steps and turned back to her as he said, "Be careful tonight, okay?"

Lorelai smiled and said, "We will." She watched him walk slowly down the steps and then called, "Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?" he answered as he turned back to her.

"I was thinking about you naked when I was folding those shirts. Maybe I should have been thinking about Jerry Cutler," she teased.

Luke smiled and said, "I hear his new girlfriend is younger than you."

Lorelai's jaw dropped as she gasped, "No way!"

Luke nodded as he walked back over to the porch rail. He wrapped his hands around the top of it and said, "Yep. Twenty two or something, former beauty pageant girl, that's what the magnolia blossoms were about. It's all he talks about."

Lorelai leaned down and kissed him again. "Tell me more tomorrow?"

Luke nodded and then kissed her one more time before backing away from the porch. He shoved his hands into his pockets and called, "Hey Lorelai?" as she reached for the door handle.

"Yeah?" she answered with a flirty smile.

"You're beautiful," Luke said with a cocky grin, and then promptly tripped over a garden gnome that Babette had given them.


	12. I Hear Ya

**A/N: Okay this is a little different. It just came to me in a rush tonight. Many moons ago, Lulu pointed out that when I was doing **_**That Couple Life**_** I omitted **_**Let Me Hear Your Balalaikas Ringing Out**_**. I hope that this makes up for it. If it doesn't work for you, I'm blaming it on the Tex-Mex I had for dinner. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.**

**I Hear Ya**

I woke up alone. That's how I knew that something was wrong. I woke up alone. To understand what that means, you have to know one thing, no, two things about Lorelai Gilmore. First of all, she loves her bed. Second, she hates mornings. So you can see why I would be a little worried when the sun peeped through the living room curtains and she wasn't there when I reached for her. I always reach for her. She's usually dead to the world at that time of the morning. I always reach for her because I like the way she feels in the morning. She warm and soft and, um, cuddly I guess would be the word. You see, at any other time of day, Lorelai is usually moving to fast to be anything close to what you would call cuddly. And in the mornings, when I reach for her, she always snuggles right in. I like to feel her breathing, deep and even with the occasional little snort or snore thrown in. I'm convinced that those are just to make me smile. I like the way she feels, her arms and legs loose and lax, without that continual flow of energy that hums through her after she has had her morning jolt of caffeine. And she sleeps so soundly. You could set a bomb off next to our bed. Hell, if I were any other kind of guy, I could have my way with her seven different times before she would even bat an eyelash. But I'm not that kind of guy. I like her wide awake and fully aware, thank you very much.

So, anyway, she wasn't there. I woke up alone. That rarely ever happens. Unless maybe if I've had a few too many the night before. No, I'm the early bird. She's the night owl. I make her go to bed earlier, and sometimes I let that soft sleepy snuggly time keep me in bed a little longer than I normally would. It works for us. I remember pushed the covers back, wincing a little as I prodded my joints into action. The feel of the cool wood floor beneath my feet was enough to get my eyes open. That's why on those days when I do stay in bed with her, I am careful never to touch the ground. Once I'm up, I'm up. Kind of like when we go to bed. When I'm out, I'm out, I guess. I got up and started toward the kitchen, knowing that if she was awake, the first thing she'd do was start a pot of coffee. But, I didn't smell coffee. She hadn't made coffee, but she wasn't in bed. Something was really wrong.

"Lorelai?" I called as I walked into the kitchen, but she didn't answer.

I glanced over at Rory's room as I passed, and there she was, dozing with her feet pulled up in the chair. As I stepped into the room, I spotted her nutty dog, Paul Anka, don't ask, lying on the bed wearing the soccer jersey she had made me order for him even though the mutt has ten times the fur that any normal dog should have. I looked over at Lorelai and my heart stopped. She's been crying. Now, I'm not the best at dealing with a woman's tears. I particularly suck at dealing with Lorelai's tears. Mainly it's because I love her so much that I can't stand for her to be upset, or hurt or worried about anything. Also because she's probably the strongest woman I have ever know, and for her to be moved to tears by anything other than happiness, well, that was bad. Really bad. Trust me, I know strong women. My mother made Hercules look like a candy ass. My grandmother could have kicked my mother's ass, and probably did a time or two. I was born, raised and lived in a town that teemed with yentas, dying to hook me up with a niece, a cousin, and a friend of a friend of a friend. Oddly all of these women turned out to be Crazy Carrie. She must be related to or friends with half of the free world. Trust me; I have known women with enough steel in them to make the Pittsburgh Steelers quiver with fear. Get it? Well, Lorelai makes them all look like a bunch of pansies. And she had been crying.

My knees felt weak, creaking in protest as I knelt down beside the chair. Sensing me, Lorelai awoke with a start and immediately asked, "Is he okay?"

"Yeah. He looks the same," I whispered.

"Is he breathing?"

"He's breathing."

"Nice and steady?"

"He's fast asleep," I assured her.

"Good," she said with a sniffle.

"You been here all night?"

"Uh, I kept thinking I heard him."

"Yeah, he does snore occasionally," I said with a smile, adding the 'you do too' only in my head. I'm not an idiot.

"And then he was cold, so I put his jersey on him."

"Yeah, I think he likes it."

"Yeah. Every time I'd go back to bed, you know, after checking on him, I just was convinced that he needed me, so I came back, and finally I just ended up here," she explained.

"Ah, it's as good a place as any."

"Yeah," she said sadly, and my heart ached. "He doesn't want to eat anything. I had all these milk-bones ready for him, but he doesn't want anything."

"What's the baster for?" I asked as I jerked my chin toward the turkey baster she had on hand.

"In case he's thirsty, but he can't lift his head, so I can just shoot water in his mouth."

"Got it."

Lorelai sighed and the sound hit me like a fist in the gut. "Doesn't seem to want anything."

"He's gonna be okay. He's strong," I said, desperate to make her believe me.

"He's so helpless. It must be so awful to be sick when you're a dog..." She sniffed, fighting back the tears because she hates them as much as I do. "'Cause you can't run or play and you don't watch TV or do anything to pass the time. Watching a lot of TV is the only good part about being sick," she said plaintively.

"I know."

"And the thing with the shoes. He was trying to tell me something," she insisted, the tears coming now whether we liked it or not.

"What?" I asked, knowing that she had probably worked it all out in her head, and could come up with a logical explanation for the dog's nutty behavior.

"He was trying to tell me to put my shoes on and take him to the vet because he felt something coming on, and he was trying to ward it off, and I didn't take him," she cried.

"I don't think that's why he was playing with your shoes," I told her.

"I tried so hard. I have a list of things that he's afraid of on the fridge, and I tried to do the right thing. I should not have so socialized him at Kirk's doggy day care the other day," she said mournfully. "I should have taken him to the best doggy day care in the country, even if it was in Seattle. That's where I should have taken him."

"He's fine hanging with Kirk."

"I did this wrong. I did this all wrong. How could I have let this happen? How did I not see it coming? How didn't I step in and do something, and," her breath hitched. "Why can't I fix these things?" she asked as if I should have all of the answers.

But I didn't. I didn't have a single damn answer for her, knowing that she had long since moved past Paul Anka and his mysterious illness. "Hey," I whispered as I ram my hand over her smooth ponytail. Suddenly I wished that it was about the dog. Suddenly, I would have killed for it to simply be a matter of driving her neurotic pooch to Seattle every day so that he could be socialized properly.

"I'm a bad mother!" she sobbed.

"You're not a bad mother," I told her firmly. That was the truth. Lorelai was about as far away from being a bad mother as, well, as far away as you can get from something, she was farther than that. She was a great mother. Is a great mother. Phenomenal. I'd be lying through my teeth if I didn't tell you that one of the things that made me fall so hard for her so fast was her total and absolute devotion to Rory. There was nothing like it. I envied it. I craved it. I relished it. I want it for my own kids. This woman. This mother. She was everything that any man could every dream of having, in every way. She was everything that any child could possibly need, want or desire in a parent. And there, for a fleeting moment, I had an overwhelming urge to storm that pool house, pull Rory from her bed and haul her back here so that she could see what she had done. I wanted her to witness this. To see this woman who had devoted her entire life to her crumbling before her very eyes.

I didn't, of course. I would never do that to Rory. To either of them. As maddeningly stubborn and proud as they both could be, I knew that doing so would only hurt them more. You see, this was my job.

"Did you sleep at all?" I asked, knowing that it was going to be up to me to handle the practicalities. I was the fix-it guy, the one who made it all better. Even if it was all held together with spit and an excess of duct tape. But this had been going on for too long. The problems were running too deep, and too close to the surface, all at the same time. At the moment, I was afraid that I was never going to have enough super glue to put all of the pieces back together.

"A little," she said with a shrug.

"You stay home this morning. I'll call Sookie and tell her you'll be late," I told her as I continued to run my fingers over her hair. "He's gonna be okay," I promised, praying to God above the lunatic beast didn't make a liar out of me.

"I hope so."

She sounded so hopeless. She looked so helpless, curled up in that chair. I kissed her hair softly, wishing that there was something, anything that I could do to convince her. "Everything's gonna be okay," I said again as I turned to look at the dog. Lorelai quieted, seemingly comforted a bit by having company while she held her vigil. I kissed her one more time as I stood up. "Be back in just a minute," I promised. And then I went looking for the phone.

I called Sookie and explained that Lorelai wasn't feeling so great and that she was going to stay in bed for a while longer. Sookie promised to tell Michel, which was a relief, because at that moment, I didn't have the patience to deal with his snide remarks. Not with the woman that I loved falling to pieces in the next room. Then I called Caesar and Lane, telling them that I was taking the morning off, and that I'd try to make it in for the lunch rush. I looked back at the rumpled bed as I put the phone back on its charger, and decided that one way or another, she had to get some sleep.

I walked back into the kitchen and stood in the doorway, watching her watch Paul Anka sleep. She looked so small curled up in that chair. All I wanted to do was pick her up and hold her, tell her that everything would be okay; the dog, Rory, the house, us. But right now, it was all a mess. I didn't even know where to start. So, I started at the one thing that meant the most.

I walked over to the chair and slid one arm under her legs. Lorelai looked up in surprise, but all I said was, "You need to get some sleep while he's sleeping. Otherwise you won't be any good to him." Lorelai nodded, as if what I had said actually made some sense, and then wrapped her arms trustingly around my neck. Now, I'm not as young as I used to be, and let's face it, she may have looked small curled up in that chair, but Lorelai is almost as tall as I am. But in that moment, I knew that I had to do what I had to do, so I lifted her into my arms, adjusting her weight as she buried her face in my neck, and then I carried her into the living room to our bed.

Now, I could pretend to be surprised by what happened next, but in all honesty, I knew it was coming. You see, it had been happening like this more and more lately. Lorelai clung to my neck a little longer. She pressed her body a little closer to mine. That distance, that barrier of self-imposed strength was long gone. We stretched out on her sides, facing each other. I watched as she blinked slowly and then leaned in, closing her eyes, trusting me to take it from here. I kissed her. I love kissing her. I could kiss her for hours, days, weeks, months even. I plan to kiss her for years. Decades, actually. Lorelai's kisses are like no others. You would think that I would be repelled by lingering coffee breath, but I'm not. She's sweet. So sweet. I swear her lips actually absorb the flavors of the shiny gunk she is constantly pulling out of that giant bag she keeps in her purse. Mango, strawberry, tutti fruity and toasted marshmallow. Even when the gunk is all gone, the sweetness of it still lingers. But not today. Today her lips are chapped and salty with tears. My job is to kiss them until they are sweet again. I take my work very seriously.

As I'm kissing her, I feel her start to move against me. This wasn't a shock either. Lorelai is a very physical person. Sexual, I guess you would say. She has a tendency to express things more with her body than with words. That is the only surprising part, since she has so damn many words for everything else. So, with my lips pressed to hers, I get to work. Hey, I never said I didn't enjoy my job. To be perfectly truthful, the first time it was like this, I was a little bit freaked out by it. I mean, I felt like I was taking advantage, you know? But when I resisted, she insisted, whispering softly in my ear about needing to feel me, touch me. Hell, I'm a guy. And she's my girl. All she has to do is look at me cross eyed and I'm so damn hard I feel like I could burst. Let's just say, after that first time, I caught on pretty quick.

The first thing to go would be our shirts. Lorelai was a big fan of the skin against skin thing, and I can't say that I'm opposed to it. She likes to make fun of me because I sleep fully clothed, but when we, uh, make love, I make sure there is absolutely nothing between us. Not even socks. I don't care if they are in the way or not, those are my rules. I peeled her shirt over her head and then quickly pulled mine off, knowing that she would be a willing, but passive participant. It took me a bit to figure it out at first, but even though there was about to be, uh, sex, this wasn't about that at all. She was the comfortee, I was the comforter. This was all a part of my work.

Oddly enough, times like this were the times when she didn't want any words. Under normal circumstances, I had to have my tongue practically down her throat to cut off the running commentary. To be honest, this is actually a little harder for me now. You see, I like the joking and the teasing. I like the sexy words whispered in my ear. I like to hear her call my name when she can't hold back any longer. Silent Lorelai? Well, it's a little nerve wracking. You see, I use the little sighs to know that I'm doing everything just right. The soft giggles tell me that she's enjoying herself as much as I am. The teasing chatter, well, that's just my Lorelai. But when it's like this, she doesn't want the, uh, preliminaries. I get that. It isn't about feeling good, it's about feeling, um, connected, I guess. In this case, physically. Like by our bodies being locked together, she has something to hang on to. I just wish she realized that she doesn't need this to hang onto me. As long as I'm breathing, I'm hers.

I went about my business, tossing our clothes to the floor as I removed each piece. When I stripped off her socks, I looked down at her lying bare, and knew that I just couldn't do it this time. Of course, I would give her what she wanted, I always will. But this time, I had to show her. Lorelai blinked up at me, obviously wondering what was taking me so long. I closed my eyes and leaned forward, pressing my mouth to her stomach. It was unbelievable that she would think even for one second that she was a bad mother. She was an incredible mother, and god willing, she would be again. I want her so much. I want kids with her so much. She is the only one that I ever wanted them with. The conversation didn't need to be short. I want to talk to her about it. I want to do it all with her; the diapers, the snotty noses, the jam hands. I would knock her up in a heartbeat, or die trying. I couldn't wait to have it all with her. The whole package. I'd build a picket fence. I'd do anything she wanted. All I wanted was to see her body, this beautiful body, swollen with my kid.

I kissed her breasts, knowing that one day they might feed our baby. I ran my hands over the curve of her stomach, ignoring her murmurs of protest and her hands tugging at my shoulders as I kissed every bit of her soft skin. I tasted every bit of her, making my way down between her legs before she could stop me. I tasted her. The sweet, musky tang of Lorelai on my lips and tongue. She squirmed, trying to move away, but at the same time, desperate for more. This was the one place where I was able to shock her. I loved this. Licking her, tasting her, sucking her like no man ever had before. At least, that's what I tell myself. I'm a man, and my capacity for denial was just as big as anyone else's. But I don't think I'm entirely wrong about this. There may or may not have been someone here before me, but there was no one like me. I know that by her shy reaction the first time I pressed my lips to her. She always resists a little at first, protesting that I didn't have to, or cutting me off just when I am hitting my stride, like I was doing something just for her pleasure. Sometimes, I get away with it, but she always feels like she has to give me the same treatment back. What she couldn't understand was that there was nothing I loved doing more than what I was doing at that very moment. I'd spend all day every day right here if I could. One of us would probably get a cramp eventually, but the way I see it, it would be totally worth it.

She'd try to stop me in a minute, but this time it wouldn't work. This time she had to know how beautiful I think she is. Every part of her. I felt her fingers curling into my shoulders, urging me up, but I resisted. I can't get enough of her. Why can't she see that? There will never be enough for me. I love every bit of her. And so, this time I had to go with my gut, and my gut told me that she needed this more than anything I might need. I kept on until her hands relaxed a little, and I knew that she was giving in. I heard her soft whimpers and I felt the rush of heat coursing through her as her body shook with pleasure. I let her go, pressing my tongue to her and letting her ride it out. Only when she slowed, her breath coming in short soft puffs, did I give her what she thought she needed.

We fit perfectly together. Her legs against mine, her breasts soft against my chest, our lips perfectly aligned. I kissed her deeply as she took me in, wrapping herself around me and squeezing me tightly. I can't even begin to tell you what it feels like, me and Lorelai. All I can tell you is that it's like nothing I have ever known. And when it's over, we lay locked together, our bodies pulsing in time with one another. I wait, looking down at her until she opens those beautiful blue eyes. To my relief, they seem a little clearer, a tad bit brighter than they did before. She kisses me softly, and looks deep into my eyes, not saying a word, just letting me see everything that is in there. Love, pain, devotion, fear and trust and tangled up in her. This little glimpse is more powerful than any words she could say. This is my thank you for a job well done.

Without moving away, I roll over, taking her with me, surrendering my chest as her pillow, my arms as her support, my hands as her comfort. I touch every single bit of her that I can reach as she relaxes into me, her body soft and warm, her arms and legs lax against mine. This is my morning Lorelai, safe and secure in my arms.

"I should check on him."

"I will, don't worry. Go to sleep," I told her gently.

"You won't leave?" she asked in whisper just before drifting off to sleep.

"No," I whispered back. "Never." She closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek against me chest, snuggling into me. "Go to sleep," I whispered again, knowing she was halfway there.

Lorelai's lips curved into a small smile as she fell asleep. I stared unblinkingly at the ceiling for a few minutes, and then I tucked my chin to my chest and looked down at her. _Did you hear that?_ I asked her silently. _All of that and more. Those are the things I wish I could tell you. Those are the things you need to hear._


	13. Oblivious

**A/N: To make up for my posting blunder last night, I thought I'd give you a little peek into what Lorelai might possibly be thinking at a particularly memorable moment in their relationship. **

**Oblivious**

He's in me. Oh God, he's in me. I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe he's doing this. Then again, yes, I can. Oh, he's in me. Hard, hot, pulsing inside of me. He's doing this. We're doing this. In, out, dear God, he feels so good. So hard, so big, filling me. I'm pinned under his weight. Hard and heavy, holding me there, right there, where he wants me. He's amazing. He never ceases to amaze me. His mouth was on me before we even hit the tunnel. He tasted so good. Warm and sweet. Peppermint and scotch. The peppermints he had for dinner. The scotch he drank because he didn't want the city slickers thinking my man was a nitwit. Oh, so deep. So full. He feels so good. Will I ever get used to this? To him?

His hands were everywhere before we even got out of the city. Big, strong hands. Callused, but still so gentle. Caressing me as if I were made of blown glass; stroking me the way a flesh and blood woman wants to be stroked. Would anyone ever believe me if I told them what he was really like? I never would tell them. That's my secret. Mine and mine alone. He's mine. All mine. And he's in me, thrusting that big hard cock so deep inside of me I feel like I could burst at the seams. Those hands squeezing me. I'm his. Built for his pleasure, designed to drive him wild. And wild he is. If I weren't so drunk on booze, I'd be drunk on power. He can't get enough of me, and I love it. All of it. His hands on my breast and my ass. His cock driving into me. His breath hot and ragged as he pushes us higher still.

His lips, teeth and tongue on my neck. Oh, that's gonna leave a mark. I don't care. Do it again, bite me there, oh God, yes. He's so incredibly hot. Cool and reserved on the outside. He's a damn inferno inside. Would anyone ever believe me? He can almost make me come with just a look. That look. That one he used earlier when he plucked one of the many, many maraschino cherries from my manhattan and popped the entire thing into his mouth. I laughed at his pained expression as he bit into the sticky sweet tidbit, and then gasped moments later when he parted his lips and plucked a perfectly tied cherry stem from his teeth. I must have laughed, because the cocky smile he flashed me was appreciative. Didn't he know that he didn't need the party tricks? Lord, didn't he know that no one knows better than I do just how talented that tongue is? He gave me that look. The one that says, 'Wait until I get you alone' and 'The things I'm going to do to you' all in one flash of sooty fringed dark blue eyes. That pathetic excuse of a thong I had put on under my bright orange dress was completely useless when it came to that look. I felt my body surge, hot and wet, and shifted closer to him in the crowded room. I wanted him there and then. I made sure he knew it too.

And now, that thong was pulled to the side, cutting into my hip and ass. His fingers curled around it, pulling it so tightly I feared it would snap. Or I would. He felt so good. So good tonight. Good, good, good. Great. Fucking fantastic. Fantastic fucking. He was so good. All night. Reserving all the snarky comments for my ears only, conversing easily with people he had no interest in other than their interest in me. Extra cherries in my manhattans. His hand in the small of my back. Proud of me. Proud of what I had accomplished. Proud that I was his and he was mine. It felt so good to have him there. Warm, sweet, and solid. Always at my side. Always on my side.

And, oh, how could anything feel this good? I feel it coming. Oh no. Oh yes. Yes, I'm coming. Nothing. Nothing can feel this good. Oh! Words. The words. Always whispered in my ear. Hot, breathless words. Clean ones, dirty ones and some that were downright filthy. Shocking. Titillating. Oh so sexy, meaningless whispers tumbling from his lips unbidden. Words he kept trapped down under that firm hold he keeps on himself. Words that are only set free in this moment. Meaningless words that were somehow infused with portent, possibility, promise and, oh God, everything good that starts with 'P'. Telling me how I feel, how he feels. Telling me he loves me. Telling me he wants me. Needs me. How can a man who says so little have such words?

"Luke," I cried out softly, still somehow mindful of the driver on the other side of the partition.

He's filling me. Hot, wet thrusts; spilling into me. His breath hitching in my ear, my name dying on his lips. So hot. Inside me. Throbbing with release. Pulsing in time with my heart. Our hearts. Our hearts beating against one another's as he collapses onto me, trapping his hand on my breast, giving me all of him. Trusting me to hold onto him when he's vulnerable. Here and now, when he's all mine. Deep inside of me. Coursing through me. Forever a part of me. Him and me. Me and him. My man. My Luke.

The car speeds on through the night as time stands still in the back seat. I feel him stir, but stop him; cradling his head and holding him there in the curve of my neck. His hair is so soft, so fine. Like a baby's. It curls on the ends. I love to play with it. It's mine to play with. He slowly slips his hand from my bra, letting it rest between my breasts, holding my heart in the palm of his hand. He murmurs something against my neck, but I have no idea what he said. I loosen my hold on him a little, reluctant to let him go, but I know we can stay here, like this. Luke lifts his head and kisses me. So sweetly. So softly. He's still trying to catch his breath, so I catch it for him and give it back; kissing him over and over again.

A whimper escapes me when he finally pushes back away from me. I hate that. The moment his body leaves mine. I feel so empty without him there, locked inside of me. Luke kisses me tenderly. He hates it as much as I do. He looks a little dazed for a moment as he kneels on the floor of the limousine, clearly not quite sure how that all just happened. This is the best part about him. He looks so innocent, like he had just been a man possessed rather than the man that was just possessing me. I can't resist, I reach out and smooth his hair down where my hands have rumpled it. He smiles, a little flash of shy boy shining through the devilish grin that creases his face. He's irresistible.

How could I have been so oblivious? Aztec Camera is taunting me on repeat mode. Telling me how obvious it was that he was the one. Mocking me for my oblivion. I could have had him all along. I know that now. I could have been his so long ago. I hate that. I was so blind. Oblivious. I'm not now. My eyes are wide open. Okay, maybe not really. They're kind of at half mast. But in the bigger sense, I know what I have. I'm not a fool.

I feel a twinge of sadness as he tucks himself back in his pants, frowning slightly as he zips them up again. I know he hates this. Luke likes to be naked. Yes, he does. And he's beautiful naked. All big and hard and muscular. The hair on his chest. It trails down his stomach like a treasure map drawn just for me. He still has runner's legs. Firm and taut. Long, lean muscles. Slender and graceful compared to the solid strength of his upper body. His back alone is a work of art. Carved out of granite, but so warm to the touch. I can feel the heat of him radiating through his shirt as he leans closer, offering me a handful of tissues her snagged from a box on the console. When I try to make myself move, I find that I can't. My muscles are like rubber bands. How will I ever make it out of the car?

I see his lips curve into that knowing smirk, and a part of me is tempted to wipe it off his face. But I can't. He earned it. Gently, so gently, he uses the tissues to clean me up as best he can. He looks up and I nod slightly, letting him know that I'm okay. He fumbles a little, those fingers that were so deft just a short time before, suddenly unsure as he tries valiantly to maneuver my thong back into place. I shook my head a little, and he sighed in defeat. He frowned for a moment before he simply pulled it off of me and stuffed it into his pants pocket. I couldn't help but smile. He's delightful. He's delicious. He's drunk and swaying on his knees on the floor of a limo. Never in a million years would I have called that one. Never in a million years would I have ever thought he would ever agree to ride in a limo, much less to ravish me in the back seat of one. He always manages to surprise me. I love surprises like that. I love him.

He looks so lost for a moment, unsure of what to do next as he peers out of the window, trying to get a handle on where we are. He turns back to me and gives me that little shrug that says, 'I have no idea'. I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck, shifting on the defiled leather seat and laughing harder when my bare bottom sticks to it; making a most unladylike sound. And then I am rewarded. His laugh. That laugh. Rumbling up from deep inside of him, reverberating off of the windows, wrapping me up in its velvety warmth as he wraps his arms around me, holding me tight.

"I can't believe we just did that," he whispered in my ear.

"We did? You did," I corrected.

"Man," he chuckled and nuzzled my ear as the heat of a blush rose in his cheeks.

I kissed him then, trying to tell him everything I wanted him to know. Everything he needed to know. His hands found their way into my hair. He always touches my hair; stroking it, running his fingers through it, pulling on it gently sometimes, and tugging on it much harder at other times. I love the feel of his fingers in my hair. He loves my hair. That works out well. I pulled back, drinking him in with my eyes. This wonderful, amazing, incredibly sexy creature. He's mine. All mine. Thank God for the flannel and baseball cap. Gotta keep this under wraps. I got him fair and square. He's mine and I never want anyone else to know. I don't want to have to start clawing eyes out. And I would.

He runs his fingertips over my cheek, and I can't help turning my lips into his palm. I kiss it softly, and touch the tip of my tongue to the soft center. Luke is his hands. A little rough, very strong, a little bit scarred, but graceful in his own way. And soft, so soft and gentle. When I look up at him again, it's there. That look.

Oh God, I'm in for it now. I can't wait to get home.


	14. Red Light, Green Light

**A/N: Okay so this one is really a stretch. I admit it, right up front.**

**Red Light, Green Light**

_My dress is beautiful. It looks so great on me. Why don't I want to try it on?_ Lorelai wondered as she slurped her drink. She watched as Sookie pulled her cell from her purse. Miss patty smiled benevolently and asked, "Are you calling Jackson?"

"No," Sookie answered defensively. When she saw the skepticism on their faces she stammered, "Well yes, but it's only because I need to pick up something I left at his house, that if it's still there, I should…" She got up, her voice softened and she said, "Hi honey, it's me," as she left the table.

_It's not biologically natural for people to mate for life. Animals don't mate for life. Well, ducks do, but who the hell cares what ducks do? Only Luke could equate marriage to ducks,_ Lorelai thought with a smirk as she drained her drink and reached for the fresh one that had magically appeared in front of her.

She looked up when her mother asked Rory, "And who are you writing to?"

Rory smiled sheepishly and glanced around. "I just want to see if Dean's around."

"And thinking about you?" Emily asked knowingly.

_I mean, people grow and evolve their whole lives. The chances that you're gonna grow and evolve at the same rate as someone else, just too slim to take. The minute you say 'I do', you're sticking yourself in a tiny little box for the rest of your life. But hey, at least you had a party first, right?_ His words echoed through her buzzing brain. _He's so annoying. I wish he would just shut up. It's not wrong to want to get married. What has Luke got against marriage anyway? From what I hear, his parents had a pretty happy one. You would think he would want the same for himself, _Lorelai reasoned. _Maybe he does. Maybe he's just jealous. Jealous that I'm getting married and he's not. Is that why Luke isn't coming to my wedding? Is it because he thinks it's all pointless? Or is it because he wants it too, and he can't have it? Isn't it pointless to have a wedding gown that you don't want to try on over and over again?_ she wondered as she pushed her chair back and pulled her cell phone from her purse.

"Oh no, not you too," Patty said with a groan.

"I'll just, uh, be a minute," Lorelai said as she slipped from her seat, already dialing with her thumb.

"Luke's! We're closed," Luke barked into the phone.

"Hi," Lorelai said as she pressed her hand over her other ear and headed for the front of the club.

"Who's this?" Luke asked, trying to hear over the noise in the background.

"It's Trixie from the other night. You never called me," Lorelai answered with a snort.

"Lorelai?"

"Uh, you got me. Whatcha doing?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"I'm closing up. What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be at your party thing?" he asked.

"I am."

"Uh, okay. Why are you calling me?" he asked. "Do you need a ride somewhere?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Lorelai said as she found a quieter corner near the coat check.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Lorelai quickly assured him. "I, uh, I'm… Hi," she said again.

Luke's lips curved into a smile as he asked, "Are you drunk?"

"Me? No! Not yet," she corrected. "I'm, uh, buzzed."

"Buzzed."

"Yeah. And I thought, well, I'd call."

His eyebrows shot up. "You're buzzed and you thought you'd call me?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" she asked defensively.

"Um, no. No problem. I just, shouldn't you be calling Max?" Luke asked gruffly.

"Just because I'm getting married, I can't call my friends?" Lorelai demanded.

"No, I just thought…"

"I just needed to talk to someone other than Max, okay?" she went on without thinking. "Just because I'm marrying the guy, that doesn't mean he has to be the be all, end all in my life."

"It doesn't?" Luke asked before he could stop himself.

"Does it?" Lorelai asked worriedly.

"I don't know. How should I know, I've never been married," Luke said slowly.

"Yeah. Uh, me either, but you already know that," Lorelai said nervously. "And, you can picture me married, right?" she asked.

"What?"

"You can picture me getting married, right?" Lorelai persisted.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah. To the right guy, I can picture you married," Luke said quietly.

"Why aren't you coming to my wedding?" Lorelai asked bluntly.

Luke rubbed his hand over his forehead. "Shouldn't you be getting back to your party?" he asked.

Lorelai glanced over her shoulder and saw her mother and Miss Patty deep in conversation. "Yeah, I probably should."

Luke took a deep breath and said, "Have fun. Call me if you guys need a ride or something, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Bye, Luke," she said as she quickly ended the call.

Lorelai glanced over at their table and then hurried into the ladies room still clutching her phone. She locked herself in the far stall and flattened her back against the wall, drawing in deep breaths as she dialed another number. When the call rang through to voice mail, Lorelai took a deep breath and said, "I don't want to try my dress on. I don't know why. I don't want to have a spare set of keys made, and I can't sleep with a boy in my bed. And you are, you are the right guy. You are so great. I'm just not sure that you're the right guy for me. And, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you," she apologized sincerely. "I just, I don't want to try my dress on. I can't marry you. I'm so, so sorry," she said softly, and then ended the call.

Lorelai pressed her head back against the wall and waited for the tears to come, but they never did. "Oh my God," she whispered as she realized that she had just called off her wedding from the handicapped stall of a bathroom of a drag club where they were celebrating what was supposed to be her bachelorette party. She looked down at her phone as she held down the power key to turn it off and spotted the diaper changing shelf bolted to the wall next to her and frowned. _Really? Here? Is there a lot of call for clean diapers in a place like this?_ she thought nonsensically. She unlocked the door and flashed a sheepish smile at the two women waiting for an available toilet. Lorelai made a show of washing her hands and then held them under the air dryer for exactly two seconds before wiping them on her jeans.

She left the ladies room and hurried back to their table, lifting her glass and taking a long pull on the straw before her butt even hit the seat. "Hey," she said to Rory.

"Hey."

"Michel leave?" she asked the table in general, straining to be heard over the music.

Sookie shook her head. "Nope. He said he had to shake his thing. So how's your guy?" she asked loudly.

"Hmm?" Lorelai asked, and quickly took another gulp of her drink when she caught herself almost saying 'He's closing up. He said to call if we needed a ride.'

"How's Max doing?"

"Fine," she lied as she signaled for Mae West to bring her another Long Island Iced Tea. "Fine, everything's just fine."

****

Lorelai stepped out onto the sidewalk and turned her phone on. Ignoring the half dozen missed call and voice mail alerts that flashed on screen, she dialed Luke's number. "Hey," she said, a slightly loopy smile curving her lips.

"Now you're drunk," Luke answered.

"I am not. I'm tipsy," she corrected. "Besides, all said was 'Hey' so you're just spectical-ing," she accused.

"Speculating," Luke said with a smile in his voice.

"Yeah, that," Lorelai said with a nod.

"So, what can I do for you? You ready for that ride?" he asked as he eyed the beer in his hand, mentally limiting himself to two.

"Dirty! And maybe later," she flirted outrageously. "No, we're just moving on to the next spot. I stepped outside to get some air while everyone else does whatever it is they need to do," she explained.

"I see. What's the next stop?"

"Well, my mom is gonna give Patty and Rory a ride home. I think they've had all the fun they can stand," she began.

"Your mom? Rory? What the hell is Rory doing at a bar?" Luke asked, incredulous.

"Easy, Carrie Nation, she drank Shirley Temples and watched Cher strut her stuff, that's all," Lorelai said with a laugh.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Hey, Luke?"

"What?"

"Max isn't the right guy, is he?" she asked softly as she turned away from the entrance to the club.

"Um, uh," Luke stuttered, his heart pounding. "I can't tell you that," he said at last.

"But you know, right?" she asked. "He's not. I can't marry him."

"I don't think that you need to be making any decisions right now," Luke said cautiously.

Lorelai snorted and said, "I'm tipsy, Luke, but I'm not that drunk."

"I'm not sure what you want me to tell you," he said as he traced circles on his thigh with the bottom of his beer bottle.

"I want you to tell me why you wouldn't come to my wedding."

Luke paused, his mind working fast and furious, trying to come up with the right words. "Uh, well, it sounds kind of like it doesn't really matter," he said hesitantly.

"It matters to me," she insisted.

"You ready?" Sookie asked with an excited grin as she appeared at her elbow.

"Lorelai, please, I'd like to get home at a decent hour," Emily called impatiently.

"I have to go," Lorelai whispered into the phone, and then quickly hung up. She turned the phone off as it started to ring, and dropped it back into her purse.

She hugged Rory and Patty goodbye and thanked her mother for driving them back to Stars Hollow as Michel danced in place, warming up for the next stop on the agenda. Soon, she was being propelled down the sidewalk, around a corner and into a dimly lit club pulsing with flashing lights and throbbing with bass.

"So much better," Michel said with a genuinely happy smile.

"Wow, crazy in here, huh?" Sookie shouted into her ear. "Let's get a drink and find a place to watch Michel. I have my camera, so this should make for some great blackmail."

Lorelai followed Sookie to the bar, flashing a bright but slightly bleary smiles at the men that parted to let them past. As soon as they claimed their ten inches of bar real estate, Lorelai flagged down the bartender and ordered four tequila shots. "Wow four?" Sookie asked.

"Two for me, two for you," Lorelai said as the bartender lined them up in front of them with some lime wedges and a salt shaker.

"Sweetie, I can't do shots, I'm driving," Sookie reminded her.

"Let Michel drive, he's already consumed his allotted alcohol units for the night. He'll dance them off," Lorelai called over the music. She licked some salt from her hand as she lifted two shot glasses and handed one to Sookie. She locked eyes with her best friend and said, "Three, two, one, shoot!" They tossed the tequila back and shuddered as they each sucked on a lime wedge. Lorelai dropped the rind to a cocktail napkin and picked up the salt shaker again. She watched as Sookie covered the damp spot on her hand and then licked it again. They raised their glasses tossed them back and slammed them to the bar as they reached for the lime. Lorelai pulled the second rind from her lips and said, "I called off the wedding."

"What?" Sookie asked with a smile, leaning in to hear her over the pulsating beat. "I didn't catch that."

"I called off the wedding. I'm not marrying Max," Lorelai shouted into her friend's ear.

Sookie giggled and said, "Ha. Funny."

"I'm not kidding," Lorelai shouted.

"What do you mean you're not marrying Max? You're marrying him next week," Sookie said with a puzzled frown.

"No, I'm not," Lorelai said as she shook her head adamantly.

"But why? Why aren't you marrying Max next week?" Sookie asked plaintively.

"I don't want to try on my dress," Lorelai shouted, her voice ringing out in a sudden lull in the music.

"So, get a different dress," Sookie said as she clutched Lorelai's arm.

Lorelai pressed her lips together and shook her head some more. "I don't want to try any dress on. I don't want to give him keys to my house. I don't want him sleeping in my bed. It's wrong, Sookie. It's all wrong."

"Okay, okay," Sookie said, trying to stay calm as she took Lorelai's arm and dragged her away from the bar. They wove their way through the crowd and to the ladies' room. "Okay, please, start again. Explain this to me so that I can understand it. Did he say something on the phone?" she asked.

"On the phone?" Lorelai asked, trying to swim through the tequila soaking her brain.

"When you called him tonight. Did Max say something to upset you?"

Lorelai shook her head and said, "I never called Max, Sook."

"You didn't?"

"No. Well, I take that back. I called him later. After. You know, I called and left him a message, just kind of telling him that I didn't want to marry him," Lorelai rambled.

"Wait, wait, back up!" Sookie said as she held up one hand. She grasped Lorelai's arms and stared up into her eyes, trying to make her focus. "You didn't call Max. Who did you call?"

"Luke," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"And what did Luke say?" Sookie asked suspiciously.

"He said to call him if we needed a ride home," Lorelai told her with a nod.

"And that's it?" Sookie persisted.

"Yeah, well, you know Luke. He never says much. I still can't get him to tell me why he wasn't coming to my wedding," Lorelai said with a derisive snort.

"So, you called Luke and he said to call him if we needed a ride home," Sookie repeated, anxious to keep Lorelai on track.

"Yeah, and then I called Max and told him. Well, I didn't really tell him. He's at the emergency room with his brother, so I assume his phone is off," Lorelai said with a nod.

"You broke off your engagement on a voice mail message?"

Lorelai winced and said, "Don't tell my mother. She'll sic one of those Post girls on me."

"Lorelai, please," Sookie said beseechingly, giving her a gentle shake.

Lorelai licked her lips as she looked down at her feet and then back up at her friend. "I can't, Sook. I can't marry him. I know I should, but I don't want to," she said as her eyes filled with tears.

Sookie's heart melted as she enfolding Lorelai into her arms. "Then you don't have to," she said quickly. "It's okay. It's okay. Better that you know this now, right?" she said reassuringly.

"I'm drunk," Lorelai said softly.

"I'll go find Michel," Sookie said with a nod. "Okay?"

"I'm just going to stay here," Lorelai told her.

"Yeah, you stay here," Sookie agreed. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Okay," Lorelai said as she sniffled.

She scooted past the women reapplying make-up in the mirror and over to the corner of the room as Sookie pushed her way out of the bathroom and back into the noisy club. Lorelai pulled out her cell phone, grunted in frustration as she saw that Max was still flooding her inbox, and pushed the button to redial. As soon as Luke answered she asked, "Why, Luke? Why weren't you coming to my wedding?"

"Lorelai," he sighed.

"Why weren't you going to come to my engagement party? It just felt so wrong that you weren't there. I needed you there," she said in a harsh whisper.

"I came."

"After I begged you to."

"I just, Lorelai..." he said helplessly.

"Don't you think I might have needed you there on my wedding day?" she demanded.

"I couldn't," he snapped. "I couldn't watch you marry that guy."

"Why?"

"I think you know why," Luke shot back.

"Was it the newspapers? I mean, three is a little excessive, but I don't think you get to blame him for global warming," Lorelai said snidely.

"You're drunk and I'm not going to discuss this now," Luke said firmly.

"Well, I guess you don't have to worry about it now. I called it off. Next Saturday is free, not that you had plans anyway," she said angrily as she snapped the phone closed.

Sookie bustled into the ladies' room and waved her over to the door. "Michel is staying. He says he'll get a cab home," she said into Lorelai's ear.

Lorelai nodded as she followed Sookie out into the noisy club. "Maybe I should give him Luke's number," Lorelai muttered under the blaring music.

They stepped out into the fresh night air and gulped in deep breaths as they watched the line of people on the sidewalk shift forward, anxious to get into the packed club. "Uh, sweetie?" Sookie said cautiously.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not sure that I can drive," Sookie admitted with a grimace.

"Oh," Lorelai said, her eyes widening as she remember the tequila shots. Lorelai's phone chirped impatiently, demanding that she at least review the calls she had missed and acknowledge the messages left.

"I could call Jackson," Sookie said with a pensive frown. "It's not really that late, but he has to be up at four. The squash," she explained as she gnawed her lip.

"Yeah, squash," Lorelai said softly as she deleted the annoying alert notices and closed the phone with a sharp click.

"We could take a cab," Sookie decided with a nod. "I'll just have to catch a ride back tomorrow to get my car." She looked around uncertainly. "I just hate leaving it here. It's not a great area, and my car isn't great, but it's all I have," she said worriedly.

Lorelai looked down at the now silent cell phone in her hand. "Um, I could call Luke, but he'd have to wake Jackson up to get your car," she said haltingly.

"Maybe if I came back really early to get it," Sookie said in a doubtful tone.

Lorelai flipped her phone open and pressed redial once again. "Hey," she said softly when he answered. "Um, we need a ride. And someone to drive Sookie's car home," she added sheepishly. She listened for a moment and then looked up at the door to the club. "Um, Boogie Fever. It's on Eighth Street," she told him. "Okay, we're already outside," she told him. "Yeah, there is. We will. Thanks, Luke," she said quietly before hanging up.

"Is he coming?"

Lorelai nodded and leaned back against the building as she glanced over at the line. "He said to stay near the bouncer."

Sookie scanned the street and then stepped over to the wall, leaning against it next to Lorelai. "Good idea," she agreed. "Well, um, we have a good twenty or thirty minutes to sober up before they get here," she said with a chuckle.

"Yeah," Lorelai answered. They lapsed into silence, watching people squeeze into the club each time a few more popped out.

"He's in love with you," Sookie said as she stared at the parking meter across from them.

"Yeah," Lorelai acknowledged softly.

"That's why he didn't RSVP," Sookie said as she turned to look at her friend.

"I get that now."

"Why did you call him?" Sookie asked gently.

"I needed to," Lorelai answered simply. "I just needed him."

Sookie nodded and looped her hand through Lorelai's arm, holding it tightly. "It's better that you know this now," she said at last.

"Yeah." Lorelai tipped her head back against the brick wall and drew in a few deep breaths of air. "Think he'll ever tell me?" she asked.

"Luke? I don't know. Maybe," Sookie replied.

They stood listening to the sounds of people chattering in line and the dull thump of the music bouncing off of the walls. "Maybe I should just jump him," Lorelai said at last.

"Huh?"

Lorelai turned to look down at her friend, blinking blearily. "I should just jump him. Be easier that way."

"Jump Luke?"

"Yep. I'll jump him and then he doesn't have to say anything at all. Save ourselves some awkwardness," she reasoned.

"You want to jump Luke?" Sookie clarified.

"Well, yeah," Lorelai chuckled.

"Really?" Sookie prodded.

"He's not a troll," Lorelai shot back.

"No, no, I know he's not. Luke is far from being a troll. He's the anti-troll," Sookie said quickly. "I just didn't think you were interested."

"I don't know. Yeah, I do. I am. I mean, who wouldn't be, right? He's a nice guy. Funny in a very odd way. Definitely good looking," she murmured. She cut her eyes to Sookie and smiled slyly as she said, "I bet he's hot in bed. You know, the strong silent type."

"Rowr," Sookie growled with a giggle. "I bet he's like the secretaries on the old TV shows. You know, all buttoned up and stuffy, and then you take the glasses off, and va va va voom!" she crowed.

"Luke doesn't wear glasses," Lorelai pointed out.

"Fine, take the hat off," Sookie said impatiently.

"You think he's storing all of that power under his hat?" Lorelai gasped.

"Well, the way the thing is glued to his head, he has to be keeping something under his hat," Sookie said. "Keeping it under his hat, get it?" she asked as she dissolved into laughter.

"I bet it's not under his hat," Lorelai added with a lascivious leer, and they both doubled over with mirth.

"Oh God, that ass! He has the best ass. Have you seen it?" Sookie asked, grasping Lorelai's arm.

"Well, not up close and personal," Lorelai answered, stumbling a little as she fell back against the wall. "I'll check it out when I jump him and report back," she promised.

"Thank you," Sookie said sincerely.

"I'd do anything for ya, Sook."

"You are a good friend," Sookie replied. She leaned back against the wall again and said, "Of course, you know you can't just jump him."

"Why not?" Lorelai scoffed.

"Because, he's Luke," Sookie answered with a shrug.

"Is he protected by an invisible force field?"

"No, I mean, he has feelings, Lorelai. Feelings for you," Sookie said impatiently.

"I have feelings for Luke," Lorelai retorted indignantly.

"Yeah, but not the kind of feelings that he has."

"How do you know? What make you think Luke's feelings are any better than my feelings?" Lorelai demanded as she tried to stand up straight.

"Uh, because two hours ago you were engaged to another guy," Sookie said bluntly.

"Oh. Yeah," Lorelai sighed. She slumped back against the wall once more. She scuffed the sidewalk with the toe of her shoe and said petulantly, "Doesn't mean I have no feelings for him."

"Oh, I know you do, Sweetie," Sookie said quickly.

"I have a lot of feelings about Luke," she said defensively.

"I just meant…"

"He's important to me. Just as important as you or anyone else. I told you, I need him," Lorelai said, cutting Sookie off.

"I know…"

"And maybe, yeah, I wouldn't say I'm _in love_ with him," she said emphatically. "But, I do, you know, care about him. A lot. More than I probably should care about a guy who is just my friend," she rambled. "There's always been this thing, this…"

"Sexual tension," Sookie murmured under her breath.

"Yes! Yes!" Lorelai said as she nodded enthusiastically. "See? I should jump him. Maybe if we, you know, we can get that out of the way."

"Get it out of the way of what?" Sookie demanded.

"Out of the way, out of the way. See if there's anything else there. Maybe I could be in love with him, but the sex is in the way," Lorelai said impatiently.

"You just said there was more there," Sookie pointed out.

"See? So it's okay," Lorelai said with a nod.

"You're drunk. You're not thinking clearly," Sookie said as her phone rang and she fumbled around in her purse for it. She pulled it free and answered breathlessly, "Hello? Oh hi. I'm so sorry," she began. She nodded as she listened for a moment, and then smiled beatifically. "You are the best guy ever. Yeah, it's down a few blocks. Parked across from Queenies," she told him. "You did? Oh, Jackson," she sighed. "Thank you. We're here. We'll be waiting," she assured him before ending the call.

Sookie turned back to Lorelai and said, "They're gonna pick up my car and then swing by here. Jackson jimmied my kitchen window and got my spare key out of the drawer."

"Aw, so sweet. He turned to a life of crime for you," Lorelai said in an awed tone.

"I know," Sookie said as she hugged herself tightly. She glanced over at Lorelai and whispered, "He's the one."

"Oh, Sook," Lorelai said as she threw her arms around her friend, hugging her tightly as they stumbled around a bit, trying to keep their balance. "You found the one!"

"I did!" Sookie giggled.

"Someday I hope to have a guy who'll break into my house for me," Lorelai said as she pulled back and looked down at Sookie with a genuinely happy smile.

Sookie's eyebrows shot up as she asked, "Didn't Luke break the lock on you back door so that he could fix the lock on you back door?"

"He did," Lorelai said, her smile turning into a grin. "He knows all the ways to break in."

"See?"

"Yeah," Lorelai said with a giddy laugh. "I am so gonna jump him."

"No, you are not!" Sookie said adamantly.

"Aw, come on," Lorelai groaned.

"No! No jumping," Sookie said, pointing a stern finger at her friend.

They both turned as they heard the rumble of Luke's truck pulling to the curb, and saw Jackson pull over right behind him in Sookie's car. Lorelai turned her smile up a notch as Luke stepped out of his truck and circled the hood, eying them warily.

"Hi," she called to him in a flirty voice. "How'd you like to give me a ride, big boy?"

Luke blinked in surprise, and then chuckled softly. Sookie shook her head vehemently and grabbed Lorelai's arm, pulling her toward her car. "Nope. You're riding with us," she said firmly.

"But, but, Luke came all the way here," Lorelai protested as Sookie grabbed for the handle on the back door and yanked it open.

"Thank you, Luke," Sookie called as she tried to force Lorelai into the back seat.

"What's the problem?" Luke asked as he approached.

"She's kidnapping me. Help, help, be my hero, Luke," Lorelai said in a high pitched voice.

"You can't ride with Luke, you're drunk as a skunk," Sookie said as she gave Lorelai another shove.

"Luke likes drunk girls, don'tcha Luke?" Lorelai asked. "Ow," she cried, bumping her head as Sookie cut her knees out from under her and pushed her into the car.

Luke and Jackson exchanged a puzzled look over the roof of the car. "I don't mind taking Lorelai home," Luke told them.

"Nope, nope. Lorelai is riding with us," Sookie said as she gave Lorelai's legs another push to be sure they were in the car, and then slammed the door. She opened the passenger door and looked back at him. "She's drunk, Luke. She doesn't know what she's doing. It's not safe," Sookie said as she plopped down into her seat and pulled the door closed.

"Not safe?" Luke asked, incredulous. He looked up at Jackson and asked, "What does she think I'm gonna do? Take advantage of her?"

Jackson held up his hands in surrender and said, "I have no idea. I'll tell them that you didn't lay a hand on me for the entire ride here."

Luke gaped at the car as Jackson slid behind the wheel and closed the door. Lorelai waved at him from the backseat, and then pressed her lips comically to the window as they pulled away. Luke stared after their tail lights for a moment, and then strode to his truck, muttering under his breath.

Jackson glanced nervously over at Sookie and asked, "You don't seriously think Luke would have done anything to Lorelai, do you?"

"It's not Luke doing something that I'm worried about," Sookie muttered.

"I was gonna jump his bones," Lorelai said as she inched up and hung over the back of the seat between them.

"What?"

"Oh yeah. Was gonna dish me up a heapin' helpin' of hunky diner guy," Lorelai said with a nod.

"Isn't she engaged?" Jackson asked Sookie in a bewildered tone.

"It's been a long night, Jackson," Sookie said as she patted his hand.

"Why did I answer the phone?" he groaned.

Sookie's jaw dropped as she turned to look at him. "I needed you!"

"I mean…" he stammered.

"So not the one," Sookie said angrily, crossing her arms over her chest and turning to stare out of the window.

"Uh oh. Jackson's in deep manure. Hey, maybe you can give her a nice squash. That seems to work for you guys," Lorelai suggested. Her cell phone began to ring, and Lorelai looked down at it with a smile of anticipation.

Her smile faded as she saw Max's number flash on the display, and remembered that Luke Danes had a strict no cell phones code that he lived by. She flopped back against the seat and heaved a dramatic sigh as she closed her eyes, only to open them wide seconds later and fumbled with the window control. By the time they reached her house, Lorelai was hanging halfway out of the back window, panting like a cocker spaniel. When the car pulled to a halt, she crowed, "I did it! I didn't puke once!"

"Congratulations," Jackson said with a smirk as he gently pushed her back into the car and then opened the door. "Do you need help from here?" he asked.

Lorelai stood up, only swaying slightly as she got her bearings. "I'm good," she assured him. She turned to look at Sookie and rapped on the window with her knuckles. "You okay, Sook?"

Sookie rolled the window down as Jackson circled the car again. "I'm fine," she said crisply.

"He's sleepy. He came to get you. Broke into your house, remember? Cut him some slack, and he may give you a nice zucchini with that squash," she said with a drunken leer.

Sookie's smile dimpled her cheeks as she giggled. "Okay, maybe he is the one."

Lorelai patted the door with her hand and whispered, "Go home. Jump him. You get to do that."

"I do," Sookie agreed.

"Make sure he shows you his cucumber," Lorelai said as she backed away from the car, tripping over her feet slightly. She held up her hands to ward them off and called, "I got it. I got it. Forward is better. 'Night," she said as she waved over her shoulder.

By the time she reached the door, they had pulled away. Lorelai tiptoed into the house and crept into the kitchen, desperate for a bottle of water. She peeked into Rory's room and found her fast asleep in her bed, and then uncapped her water as she walked back out to the porch with her cell phone in hand. She smiled to herself as she dialed and then held the phone to her ear as she lowered herself to the top step. It rang and rang, but when his answering machine clicked on, Lorelai hung up. She waited a few minutes, sipping her water slowly as she allowed the flashing red message light on the phone to hypnotize her a bit. She tried again, tapping her foot impatiently as it rang again.

When he answered, Luke was out of breath. "Hello?" he growled into the receiver.

"Hey," she said with a slow drunken smile.

"Why the hell do you keep calling me?" Luke demanded.

"I like you," Lorelai answered simply.

"What did they think was gonna happen back there?"

"They weren't worried about me, they were worried about you," Lorelai told him.

Luke paced his apartment as he barked into the phone. "I would never have done anything to you! How could Sookie even think…"

"No, but I woulda done something to you," she said succinctly, cutting him off.

"What?" Luke asked as he stood frozen to the spot.

"Oh yeah. I had a plan. Hey, maybe I should come over now. I can tell you about my plan," she said as she stood up, steadying herself on the porch rail.

"Plan?"

"I was gonna just jump you. See what happens," Lorelai said with a nod.

"Jump me?"

"Are you a parrot?" she countered.

"What do you mean jump me?"

"I was going to seduce you, Luke. Use my womanly wiles to whittle away your, uh, weservations," she trailed off, wincing at the Fudd-ism she had employed in the name of alliteration. Luke was silent on the other end, and Lorelai fidgeted nervously with the bottle of water. "Um, or not," she added quickly.

"You were going to seduce me?" he asked slowly, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Well, that was the plan," Lorelai mumbled as she turned and walked back into the house. "I can, you know, seduce a guy," she added defensively.

"I'm sure you can," Luke answered, clearly bewildered. "You were going to dump your fiancée first, right?" he asked with a snort as he began pacing again.

"Already done," she said quietly as she climbed the steps.

"What?"

"I told you, I called it off," Lorelai said impatiently.

"No, you said you couldn't marry him," Luke corrected as he rubbed the back of his neck tiredly.

"Yeah, so I called him and told him that," Lorelai hissed.

"And then you decided that you were gonna jump me?" Luke asked.

"Yes."

"Why me?"

"Why not?"

"Oh, well, okay," he said sarcastically. "Come on over," he said as he gestured to his apartment wildly.

"I'm not kidding," she warned.

"You're blitzed," he replied with a laugh.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes as she sat down on the edge of her bed. She listened to his deep, soft chuckles and shook her head, her jaw set in determination. "I want you, Luke. Don't you want me?" she asked in a deliberately husky voice. When he stopped chuckling, she smiled. "Do you? Do you, Luke?" she whispered into the phone.

Luke swallowed hard and then said gruffly, "You should go to bed."

"With you?" she asked as she stretched back on the bed, kicking her shoes off and twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. "Can I go to bed with you? Will you keep me safe and warm?"

"Lorelai," he said as he exhaled a ragged breath.

"I do want you. If I came over there, could I have you?" she asked simply.

"No," he breathed.

"No?" Lorelai blinked up at the ceiling and then asked, "No, because you don't want me?"

"No."

"No, you don't, or no, you do?" she asked with a confused frown.

There was a long pause as the faint hum of static filled the line. "I do," he said at last.

"You do want me but I can't have you?" she asked leadingly.

"You've been drinking. You don't know what you're saying," he said firmly. "We should hang up and you should go to bed. Have you had some water? Do you have aspirin nearby?" he asked.

"You take such good care of me. Don't you want to take care of me, Luke?" she asked softly.

"Lorelai, please don't," he asked weakly.

"I need you, Luke. You're my guy. The one I need. And I don't need guys, Luke, but I need you." She listened to him breathing on the other end of the line and asked, "Can I come over?"

"No," he said in the smallest whisper.

"But you want me."

"Yes."

"And I want you. I need you," she said, her voice low and seductive.

"Oh God," Luke groaned as he dropped down into his chair and covered his eyes with his hand. "Are you even going to remember this in the morning?"

"Let me come over. I bet you can make it memorable," she said with a smile.

"No, you're not coming over, and I'm not coming there," Luke said sternly.

"But then how will I show you how much I want you?" she asked innocently.

"Write me a note."

"I'd rather demonstrate," she answered with a grin. "Hey, how about I just tell you?"

"Tell me?"

"Yes, Polly," she mocked gently.

"Tell me what?"

"Tell you where I want you to touch me," Lorelai said as she slid her fingertips down her throat.

"No!" Luke said a he shot out of the chair.

"Ah, you say no now, but hang on," she cajoled. Lorelai's hand trailed down to her breast as she asked, "Don't you want to touch me here, Luke?" She heard his sharp intake a breath and smiled knowing he was hooked. "Do you want to know where I'm touching myself?"

Luke licked his lips, his eyes darting nervously around his apartment as if searching for the right answer before he sat back down in his chair. "Where?" he asked quietly.

"My right boob, no wait, breast sounds better," she corrected herself quickly. Lorelai laughed softly and resumed her soft husky voice as she said, "My right breast, Luke." She waited for a beat, and when he didn't respond, she asked, "Do you want to know how it feels?"

"Yes," he answered without thinking.

"Feels nice. I'm just, I'm kind of running my fingers around it really lightly. It's making my nipple hard," she confessed in a breathy voice. Lorelai thought she may have heard a strangled groan on the other end of the line. Emboldened, she tucked the phone against her shoulder and whispered, "There, now I have both hands." She listened for a moment, her own breathing growing harsh as she listened to his and stroked herself lightly. "I don't know what to do next. Should I take my shirt off, Luke?" she asked.

"Yes."

"If I take my shirt off, I can't come over there," she said meaningfully.

"You shouldn't come here."

"Should I come here?" Lorelai asked archly.

"Lorelai," he hissed.

"Do you want me to come, Luke?"

"Oh God, that's a loaded question," he said with a sharp laugh.

"Are you loaded, Luke?"

"You are," he pointed out.

Lorelai laughed and said, "Oh, we're gonna have fun, aren't we, Luke?"

"Fun?"

"Oh yeah. It's gonna be fun, and it's gonna be hot. So hot," she said as she slipped her hands up under her shirt. "My bra is lacy. Do you want to see it?"

"Yes."

"It's pink and it has this little edge of cream colored lace. Very pretty," she told him.

"I bet."

"You'd like it," she said encouragingly.

"Yes, I would," he said in a low gravelly voice.

"You want me in pretty lacy things, Luke?"

"Yes. Or without them," he said in a low voice.

"Do you want me to take my clothes off?"

"Lorelai, this is wrong," he said quietly.

"It's not wrong. We're not doing anything wrong. You're there, I'm here. We're just talking on the phone," she said as she held the phone to her ear once more. "You don't mind if I make myself more comfortable do you? Settle in for a nice chat?" When he didn't answer, she decided that was a yes. "Hang on," she said before setting the phone down on the bed.

Lorelai sat up too quickly, muttering "Whoa," as her head spun a little. She quickly pulled her shirt up over her head and then unhooked her bra. She dropped it to the floor before reaching for the button on her jeans. When she shifted to work them down over her hips, she slipped off of the edge of the bed with a loud, "Oops!" and a giggle.

"Lorelai?" she heard him call out through the phone.

"I'm good, I'm fine," she said with a laugh. She bent down to work her jeans off of her feet and called out in a bad cockney accent, "Having a spot o' trouble wit me trousers, guv'nor." Luke rubbed his hand over his face, and then down the top of his thigh nervously. She kicked the jeans aside and lurched for the door, closing it firmly as she said, "There, much more comfortable," as she picked up the phone again. "Hi," she said in a breathy voice.

"Hi," he choked out.

"Good, you didn't hang up," she said with a smile.

Luke laughed self-consciously. "Probably should have."

"I would have called back," she told him.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"I wish I was doing it to you. You're the one who said I couldn't come over," she reminded him.

"You want me to admit it, is that it?" he asked impatiently. "Yes, I want you, Lorelai. I want you so bad that it hurts, okay? But I want more than that. Than this," he said truthfully.

"Well, it's nice to hear you finally admit it, but I kind of knew that already," she told him.

"You did," he said flatly.

"Well, sort of," she confessed.

"But you were still going to marry him," he said dully.

"No. That's why I can't marry him," Lorelai told him. "He asked, and well, okay I admit it, I got a little swept up in the idea."

"Idea? The idea? Lorelai, you were supposed to marry him next week!" he cried.

"I didn't really think about it, Luke," she shot back.

"You've planned this whole wedding thing down to the last damn mint. Believe me, I know. I heard it all!"

"Yeah, the wedding, but not the marriage!" she said loudly. When Luke didn't respond, Lorelai sighed and said, "I planned a wedding with him, Luke. I didn't plan on spending my life with him."

Luke clenched his jaw, the muscle in his cheek flexing and jumping under the strain. "I'm sorry," he managed to say at last.

"Not half as sorry as I am, trust me," she said as she pulled the comforter over her naked body.

"I was at my own damn engagement party, and it didn't feel right because you weren't there. I was supposed to marry someone next week, and could I even think about what that meant? No! All I could think about was you, and why you weren't coming," she told him. "And then, and then, tonight my mom was talking about her wedding and how in love with my dad she was, and I couldn't even imagine feeling that way. Everyone else was getting all dewy eyed and calling their guys, and I didn't even think about Max. All I could think to do was call you. I called you, Luke," she finished softly, letting the words hang in the air between them.

Luke sat staring down at his fingers splayed over his denim clad thigh. "I'm glad," he admitted in a low voice.

"You are?"

"Yes."

"Can I come over?" she asked quickly.

"No," he said with a chuckle.

Lorelai smiled sadly as she shifted the phone to her other ear. "Just as well, I'm naked." She heard him suck in a breath and her smile warmed considerably. "I'm a mess, Luke," she warned.

"Yeah, you are."

"Still want me?

"Yeah, I do," he confirmed.

"Even after all of that?"

"I don't see much changing it," he said with a chuckle.

"No?"

"I kind of knew you were a mess before."

A soft smile curved her lips as she said, "Yeah, you did." Lorelai ran her hand over her flat stomach, rubbing it soothingly. "I wish you were here," she whispered.

"Rory's home," he reminded her.

"Not for that. Just because," she said softly.

"Because?" he prompted.

"I'd feel better, you know," she said shyly.

"Yeah."

"Yeah," she echoed. Lorelai took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. "Swans are the ones that mate for life, not ducks," she told him.

"Whatever," he said dismissively.

"Are you a swan?"

"Me? No, I'm not graceful enough," Luke said with a laugh.

"Do you mate for life?" she persisted.

"I hope so. Someday," he answered honestly.

"Me too," she whispered. They sat listening to each other breathe for a few minutes and then Lorelai giggled softly.

"What?" he asked.

"We should have stuck with the phone sex. I'm better at figuring out what to say for that," she told him.

Luke laughed and shook his head as he said, "Well, that makes one of us."

Lorelai smiled at his natural reticence. "No? Don't know what to say?" she teased.

"I know what to do," he said pointedly.

"That doesn't do us much good right now, though, does it?"

"Doesn't have to be right now," he answered easily.

"Oh, but you know how I need immediate gratification," Lorelai purred into the phone. "I bet you're better than you give yourself credit for."

"Your faith in me is touching," he said dryly.

"Touching, yes. Touch me. Where would you touch me, Luke? Where would you start?" she said in a soft, seductive voice.

"Kiss," he whispered. Luke cleared his throat and then said more clearly, "I would kiss you first, of course."

"Of course," Lorelai murmured. "I bet you're a slow kisser, right? You like soft, slow, long deep kisses."

"Yeah."

"Where are your hands?" she asked.

"What? They aren't anywhere," Luke said as he sat up a little straighter in his chair.

"On me. Where are they on me?" Lorelai corrected.

"Oh. Um, your hair, I want to touch your hair," he told her. "Your, uh, waist or back."

"Holding me close."

"Close," Luke murmured, closing his eyes to picture her.

"Your kisses get harder, hotter," Lorelai breathed. "Your hands on my neck, down my back, stroking me, pulling me closer."

"Skin," he whispered.

"Yeah, your hands on my skin. Under my shirt. Your fingers teasing me, tickling me as your hand slides over my ribs to my breast."

"So soft."

"Can you feel me? Can you feel me in your hands?" she asked as she cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples into hard points. She moaned softly and asked, "Will you kiss me here? God, I want you to."

"Yes," he said as he shifted down in his chair, splaying his legs as he forced himself not to touch the straining bulge in his jeans.

"Yes, kiss me. Suck me," panted as she pinched her nipples between her fingers.

"Jesus," Luke muttered as he finally gave in and finally adjusted himself into a more comfortable arrangement. He unbuttoned the top button on his jeans, but that was as far as he dared to go.

"I'm picturing you here, your mouth on me."

"Are you really naked?" he asked in a raspy voice.

"I'm completely naked," Lorelai confirmed.

"Oh," he groaned.

"Naked, touching myself, wishing it was you touching me. I want you to touch me."

Luke yanked on the fly of his jeans and the buttons popped open. He plunged his hand into his boxer briefs and wrapped his fingers around the hard shaft of his cock. "I want to. I want to touch every bit of you. Kiss you. Lick you. Suck you," he panted as he began to stroke himself. He caught the phone between his ear and shoulder and pushed his jeans and shorts down over his hips, freeing himself from the constraints of the material.

"Touching me here?"

"There and lower, Lorelai. Lower," he urged.

Lorelai shivered at the sound of her name spoken in the deep intimate voice. "You want me to touch myself here?" she asked innocently as she slid her fingers down over her sex. She began to stroke her clit with soft teasing flicks of her fingertips as she asked, "Here, Luke? Is this where you want to touch me?" She listened as his breathing sped up, each exhalation gusting into the phone. She heard the phone moving and knew that she had finally gotten to him. "You're hard, aren't you Luke? So hard." When he grunted softly she smiled and said, "I want to feel you, Luke. Hard and hot in my hand."

"Lorelai," he managed to groan. There was silence broken only by the sound of ragged gasps for air as their hands continued to work feverishly to keep up with their imaginations.

"My mouth," she whispered as she slid one finger into her wet heat, still teasing her clit with the other hand.

"Tell me. Tell me what you're doing now," he ordered.

"I'm so wet, Luke," she panted. "My finger. In and out. Are you touching yourself? I want you in my mouth. In me."

"Yes," he growled.

Her breath hitched and caught in her chest as she felt a rush of desire coursing through her. "So wet. Ready for you. Are you ready for me?"

"Yes."

Lorelai stroked her clit faster she thrust her finger into herself. "Are you listening, Luke?" she whispered. "I'm coming."

"Oh God," Luke groaned as he felt his body surge. "Come, Lorelai, come," he rasped.

He listened intently as she moaned low and deep followed by a series of soft mewing sounds and punctuated with a sighed, "Oh, yes. Yes, Luke."

Luke closed his eyes and bit his lip hard, struggling not to make a sound as he found his own release. His fingers went slack on the receiver and it turned, pressing against his flannel clad shoulder and muffling the low grunts that escaped his lips. Vaguely he heard her saying, "Luke? Luke?"

"Yeah," he answered, fumbling with the receiver as his voice cracked.

"Oh, Luke," Lorelai sighed as her eyes grew heavy and drifted shut.

"Hey," he said softly, his voice like thick warm honey in her ear.

"Sleepy," she mumbled.

"Lorelai," he said with a worried frown.

"Hmm?"

"You need to hang up the phone," he reminded her.

"Not yet," she murmured.

Luke looked over at the clock and closed his eyes as distractedly he wiped his hand on his shirt. "I have to get up in three hours," he told her.

"Already got you up," she said with a sleepy chuckle.

Luke laughed softly and said, "Yeah, you did."

Lorelai licked her dry lips and asked, "See you in the morning?"

Luke smiled and said, "I'd be surprised to see you before noon."

"You'll have the coffee?"

"I've got the coffee," he assured her.

"You shoulda let me come over."

"This was bad enough, I think," he chuckled.

"Not bad, goooood," she corrected lazily.

"Lorelai?"

"Hmm?"

"You're gonna remember this tomorrow, aren't you?" he asked uncertainly.

"Probably."

Luke laughed and said, "Well, that's reassuring."

"Remind me if I don't, okay?" she asked.

"Please remember it, Lorelai."

"I will," she promised.

"Maybe not that part, but the part before that," he corrected.

"Wanna remember that too."

"You need to hang up the phone," he said gently.

"Night, Luke," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Lorelai."

"Can I jump you tomorrow?" she asked.

"Let's see how it goes," he said with a slow smile. "Lots of water and some aspirin," he reminded her. "Now hang up."

"No, you hang up," she countered.

"I need to be sure you hang up the phone, Lorelai."

"No, you."

"I'm not playing a game," he said tiredly.

"Count of three?"

"Hang up," he ordered.

Lorelai's lips curved into a smile as she whispered, "Goodnight," and closed her phone.

Luke heard the click and dropped the phone onto the cradle. He wrinkled his nose as he looked down at his disheveled clothing and muttered, "Pathetic," as he pulled his pants back up. He hoisted himself from his chair and stumbled toward the bathroom weak-kneed and exhausted. He turned on the taps and held his hands under the faucet as he let the water warm. Luke met his own gaze in the mirror and murmured, "Please let her remember."

****

The following day, she didn't come in for breakfast or lunch. The diner phone rang in the middle of the dinner rush. "Luke's," he grunted into the receiver as he juggled the coffee pot and reached for two dirty mugs on the counter.

"I recognize that voice," Lorelai said with a smile in her voice.

"Oh, hey," he said as he set the mugs back down and turned to place the pot on the burner. "Do you?" he asked as he turned away from the crowd at the counter.

"Vaguely," she answered.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Uh, a little rough," she admitted.

"Where are you? Sounds like you're driving," he said with a frown.

"Um, Rory and I decided to take a little road trip. Get away for a couple of days," she said, trying to sound casual about it all.

"Oh."

"Just, you know, until things die down a little," she told him.

"Okay," he said cautiously.

"I just, I remember that you, uh, offered me coffee this morning, and I didn't, um, want you to think I changed my mind. Your coffee is still the best coffee in town," she improvised quickly, adding a sage nod.

"Thank you. Uh, Rory is with you, huh?"

"Yes. Just for a couple of days," she said, trying to keep her voice light and normal.

"And do you think you might still want coffee when you get back to town?" he asked.

"That's probably a pretty good bet," she answered.

"Okay, well, alright. Well then, you know where to find me," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I do. Yeah, I do. And, I have your numbers. I'll call if we need anything," she said as she nodded and flashed Rory a quick smile. "Thanks for everything last night, Luke."

"Uh, well, you're welcome," he said with a nervous laugh.

"I'll see you soon."

"See ya soon, Lorelai," Luke said warmly.

He hung up the phone and began making a round of refills with his coffee pot in hand. The bells chimed as Sookie came in and took a seat at the counter. Luke stood glaring down at Kirk as they argued over the number of refills he had been given already, and Luke reminded the smaller man that they were indeed not in France.

"Hey, Luke," Sookie said as she saw him approach.

"Hey, Sookie," he answered as he walked behind the counter and placed the pot back on the burner.

"Thanks for bringing Jackson to get us last night," she said with a nervous little laugh.

"No problem," Luke murmured as he wrote up a ticket.

"Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?"

Sookie glanced around and then asked, "Have you heard the latest news, kinda sad, Lorelai and Max?"

"What about them?" he asked guardedly.

"The wedding's off," she said with a slight wince. She watched him carefully, trying to gauge his reaction so she could report back to Lorelai when she returned from her impromptu road trip with Rory.

Luke's eyes widened in surprise that was not completely feigned. _She did it. She really did it,_ he thought as a wash relief coursed through his veins. "What? What happened?" he asked, recovering quickly.

"You know, I don't really know. It was all kinda sudden," Sookie said with a shrug.

"Oh, well, uh, I'm sorry. That's tough," he added as he tried to tamp down his excitement. He grabbed the pot once more and hurried out into the diner, sloshing coffee into Kirk's mug.

"What's this?" Kirk asked.

"Refill number nine," Luke told him.

"I thought you said I had to go," Kirk said with a confused frown.

"You can hang a bit," Luke said with a shrug as he turned away.

"Really?"

"Welcome to France. Coffee's on the house too," Luke said over his shoulder.

"Thanks. Or, should I say, gracias!" Kirk added as he toasted Luke with his mug..

"In fact, everyone's coffee's on the house today," Luke said to the diner as a whole. Sookie covered her smile with her hand as she turned back to the counter. She stifled a giggle when she heard Luke tell some random guy, "I like your hat."

Sookie slipped off her stool and out of the door, pulling her cell from her pocket as she closed it behind her. She waited for the call to connect, and when Lorelai answered, she smiled and said, "Well, he didn't let on to anything, but coffee's on the house today. The guy is a total goner."

"Good," Lorelai answered with a grin. "I knew I wasn't that drunk," she scoffed.

"No, not at all," Sookie said smartly.

"See you in a couple of days?" Lorelai asked.

"I'll keep my eye on him. You guys have a good trip."

"Thanks Sook," Lorelai said as she closed her phone. She dropped it into the console and turned to Rory as she said, "All set. My ducks are in a row. Or swans. Whichever. So, we're heading toward Portsmouth, huh?" she asked brightly as she signaled for the turn onto highway ramp. She gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as slowed slightly and then accelerating as the red light turn to green. "Here we go." she said under her breath.


	15. The Ins and Outs of Being All In

**The Ins and Outs of Being All In**

Lorelai and Mia walked slowly from the dance studio dissecting the lynch mob mentality of the town meeting they had just left. Mia squeezed Lorelai's arm as she said, "Oh, I am just having the most wonderful time. And I am so proud of you and Rory. You both have just come so far."

Lorelai felt a stab of guilt as she murmured, "Yeah, we have." She drew a deep breath and decided to plunge in. "Um, Mia, I need to talk to you about something." She went on explaining the dream that she and Sookie had of owning their own inn one day, and how things seemed to be happening that were moving them closer to that dream becoming a reality. And then, Lorelai Gilmore had the sidewalk yanked out from under her. Mia responded to her news with enthusiasm. Too much enthusiasm. She went on to request that Lorelai and Sookie move forward with their plans to leave the Independence Inn sooner rather than later, and told Lorelai of the many lucrative offers she had been given for the property.

Lorelai stared at Mia in shock, barely comprehending what she was hearing. _Sell the Independence Inn? She can't sell the inn, where would we go? Where would I run to if things went tragically wrong?_ "Oh. Good, uh, good. Then it all works out good," she managed to stammer.

"Actually, it's very good!" Mia agreed as she gave Lorelai's arm another squeeze.

"Okay. Well, good," Lorelai murmured, her feet rooted to the spot where the sidewalk used to be.

Mia looked up and saw Taylor hurrying from the studio. She grinned at Lorelai and said, "I need to talk to Taylor about some things. Do you want to come with me? It's always fun to watch him puff up like a blowfish," she added enticingly.

Lorelai shook her head as she looked up from the pavement she was sure was just a mirage. She glanced over at the darkened diner and said, "Um, no. You go on ahead. I think I'll check on Luke."

"You're a sweet girl," Mia said fondly as she pulled her arm from Lorelai's. "I'm glad that Lucas has you. He needs a friend he can count on."

"Yeah, well, that's me," Lorelai said with a weak smile.

"I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight," Mia said as she quickly embraced the young woman.

"Night, Mia," Lorelai aid softly.

As the click of Mia's heeled shoes faded, Lorelai looked up at the diner once more_. A friend he can count on. Luke doesn't count on me, Mia, I count on him. _She hesitated on the sidewalk, balling her hands into fists in her coat pockets as letting her nails bite into the palms of her hands._ I need to talk to Luke. Luke will know what to do. Luke will tell me if I'm being nuts or not, _she told herself as the thought wove its way in and out of the maze of her mind. _Maybe Luke can talk to Mia, convince her not to sell, find some way to fix this. Luke knows how to fix things,_ she thought as she slowly climbed the diner steps.

She tried the door handle, but it was locked. She tapped on the glass, peering into the empty diner, but there was no movement. Lorelai chewed her lip for a moment, panic rising, expanding in her chest, clogging up her throat. _Come on, Luke, I need you, _she thought with a frown as she futilely tried the handle one more time. She sighed and began to turn away when she remembered the spare key he left on the sill above the door. Turning back, Lorelai stretched onto her toes and ran her fingertips along the ledge, smiling as she felt the cool metal and curled it into her palm. She slid the key into the lock and felt the tumblers slide out with a satisfying click before pulling the key out and curling tightly in her hand. Without stopping to think, Lorelai locked the door behind her and hurried for the sliver of light that shone from behind the curtain.

She climbed the stairs; determined to get to him, knowing that if she could just talk it out with him that Luke would be able to make it feel better. _Breathe,_ she reminded herself. _In out, in out. Luke will know what to say to make it better._ _He's good at that._ If there was one thing that Lorelai Gilmore was sure that she could count on, it was Luke Danes. _Luke always knows what to say. He may not say it in a way that would make poets fear for their livelihood, but he says things. Simple things. Luke things that cut to the chase and somehow make everything a little easier to believe,_ she told herself as she reached the upstairs landing. _I need some Luke things. I need some perspective. I need him to kick me in the ass, squelch the butterflies in my stomach and tell me in that no-nonsense Luke way that everything will be okay._

She knocked softly on the frosted glass pane in the door and stood back a step, waiting patiently as she heard the scrape of his chair on the floor. Luke opened the door and frowned at her in puzzlement. "How the hell did you get in here?"

Lorelai held up the spare key and smiled nervously as she said, "I borrowed this. I need to talk to you."

Luke snatched the key from her fingers and stuffed it into his jeans pocket. "Of course," he snapped as he turned and walked back to the kitchen table, leaving the door wide open. "He's not here. I don't know where he is, okay?" Luke snarled.

"Uh, okay," Lorelai said as she closed the door quietly. She turned back to him and saw he slump into the kitchen chair, his shoulders sagging with defeat. She took a deep breath and began, "Luke?"

"I don't know what I was thinking," Luke said as she shook his head. He reached out and started to turn his bottle of beer with his fingertips, leaving wet rings of condensation on the table top. "I'm an idiot."

"What?" Lorelai asked, taken aback.

Luke shook his head again and said, "Who the hell was I kidding, huh? No one but myself." He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the table as he rubbed his hands roughly over his face. "I was a complete and utter moron to think that I could help him," he said in a low voice muffled by his hands.

Lorelai stared down at him, stunned by his self-recrimination. "Luke, no," she began as all thoughts of inns and sidewalks being jerked out from under her flew straight from her head.

Luke pressed his lips together in a firm line as he sat back in his chair and looked up at her. "Yeah, Lorelai, you were right. I can't fix this. I can't fix him. I don't know what I was thinking," he said softly. "Look at what it's come to. Chalk outlines, secret meetings, tar, feathers, restitution. Soon there may even be a bill before Congress demanding that I pay reparation," he said with a bitter chuckle.

"Luke, what they did back there was wrong," she said firmly.

He looked down at his hands clasped in his lap, and then back up at her again, his eyes filled with pain and confusion. "I'm trying. I really am," he said gruffly.

"I know you are," Lorelai said as she hurried over to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know what I'm doing. I can't raise a kid. I can barely take care of myself."

"That's not true!" Lorelai blurted. "You can. You can do this. You take care of everything and everyone. Rory and I would have starved to death in a house that collapsed in on top of us if it weren't for you," she said vehemently.

"He's too far gone," Luke said quietly.

"No, no he's not," Lorelai insisted. "It may not seem like it Luke, but he knows he needs this. He knows he needs you. He's seventeen years old! Trust me, if he really didn't want to be here, he would have left already."

"You think?" he asked, looking up at her for confirmation.

Lorelai stared down into those worried deep blue eyes and nodded. "He knows he needs you. We all need you," she said softly. Lorelai watched as her simple words hit home, chasing the worry from his eyes. "We do need you. I need you," Lorelai said quietly. "You're the first person I run to," she told him. "For everything." The moment the words left her lips, Lorelai knew without a doubt that they were simply the truth. Without stopping to think, she placed her hands on his scruffy cheeks, cradling his face in her palms, leaned down and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

It wasn't a kiss of comfort, or even reassurance. It wasn't a kiss of gratitude, or an attempt to placate. It was simply a kiss, borne of need, fueled by awareness, and cushioned by the absolute knowledge that this was right and this was good. Lorelai kissed him again, drawing his lips against hers and sighing with relief when he finally responded. Luke lifted one hand up, threading it through her arms and cradling her cheek as gently as she still held his. She caressed her soft skin, his thumb tracing the firm line of her jaw as he rose from his chair without breaking the kiss. By the time he rose to his full height, one arm encircled her waist, pulling her closer as his lips became more demanding and his kisses hungrier for more.

Lorelai's fingers slid into his hair, knocking his blue ball cap to the floor. Luke tightened his arm on her waist, angling his head as his thumb stroked her cheek and jaw, and parting her lips with as soft groan of unrestrained need. In, out, his tongue darted into her mouth, tangling with hers, caressing her with the velvety softness of his own. In, out, her fingers slipped through the ends of his soft curls, only to plunge in once more, her nails scraping gently against his scalp. In, out, she drew his lower lip into her mouth, sucking on it gently before releasing it with a tiny tender kiss.

She stepped back and looked up at him through her lashes shyly as her hands slid down his neck to his chest. Luke swallowed hard, trying to control his breathing, trying to force some semblance of sound from his lips. "What…" he began in a voice that sounded clogged with rust.

"I just," Lorelai whispered. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back and shrugged, letting her coat slide from her shoulders. The sound of the heavy fabric falling to the floor reverberated in the silent apartment. "I just need you," she said as she lifted her bright blue eyes to his.

And that was all Luke needed to hear. His arms encircled her, pulling her to him as he kissed her again, pouring all of his own aching need into his kiss as she bowed into his body. His fingertips slipped into the hem of her soft blue sweater, forcing a soft moan out of her as his warm hands began to glide over her back. His flannel joined her jacket as his tongue circled hers, drawing her in, seeking her out, blindly searching for everything he had ever hoped for and knowing he would find it in her. Lorelai raised her arms and he slipped her sweater up over her head, tossing it aside before seeking the heat of her kiss once again. His hand splayed over her warm skin, holding her firmly to him as his feet nudged hers, walking her back toward his bed.

Her fingers dipped into the waistband of his jeans, deftly sliding the button from its hole. His mouth blazed a trail of hot wet kisses down the side of her neck as he pressed her gently down onto the mattress. When she blinked up at him, Luke reached up and gathered the neck of his t-shirt in his hand, practically tearing it from his body, needing to feel her skin against his. He covered her, kissing her hard and hot, his tongue demanding more and more of her as he crushed her beneath him, his hips circling against her, fueling the fire, driving the need that drove them both. He shifted to the side a little as he kissed his way down her throat. His teeth scraped over her tender skin, his lips drew it into his warm mouth, and his tongue pushed it back out, seeking more unconquered territory with each caress. Luke slid his hand into her lacy bra and pulled her breast out of the cup, covering the soft mound with kisses and drawing the beaded tip into his mouth. He sucked feverishly, urgently needing more but unable to get enough of her.

He groaned her name as he felt the catch on her bra give way. He lifted his head and looked up at her, seeking permission after having already taken, asking forgiveness for giving into the gnawing ache the burned deep inside of him. "I, uh," he panted.

"Have too many clothes on?" she finished for him as she snaked a hand between them and tugged at the zipper on his jeans.

"Are you sure?" he asked breathlessly.

"I need this. I need you," Lorelai said with a slight shrug.

Unable to think clearly when she looked at him like that, unwilling to acquiesce to his better angels, Luke didn't question what was about to happen any further. He sat back and slipped her shoes from her feet. He glanced up to see her watching him carefully, but she did not move to help. He raised his eyebrows slightly as he touched his fingers to the button on her jeans, and she inclined her head encouragingly. He slid the snug denim down over her hips, revealing a pair of tiny pink bikini panties that made his cock twitch and surge in its captivity. He smoothed the heavy denim down over long smooth thighs, his mouth watering at the sight of her creamy skin. He dropped the jeans and her socks unceremoniously over the side of the bed, and started to feel himself from his own clothing.

Lorelai watched, fighting back the bashful urge to cover her bare breasts with her hands, tamping down on the stronger urge to touch the pulsing flesh between her legs to see if she could possibly be as wet as she thought she was. Her lips parted as Luke stood up and pushed his jeans and boxers down over his hips, releasing his long thick erection. Lorelai sat up, her eyes wide with appreciation as she unthinkingly reached for him, curling her fingers around the hot hard skin and smoothing her thumb over the silken tip. Luke's breath rushed from his lungs with shudder and he closed his eyes as she began to stroke him, her fingers sliding over his length, encircling him and squeezing him tightly against her palm.

"I need you." The words sounded rough, as if they had been torn from the very depths of him.

"You have me," Lorelai said as she pressed a gentle kiss to the head of his cock. She looked up at him boldly and whispered, "I want you to have me." She hooked her thumbs into the sides of her panties and lay back as she worked them over her hips. Luke hastened to help, smoothing the scrap of material over her legs.

His breath caught in his throat as he saw her brush her fingers over the dark curls atop her legs. He stood riveted, her pink panties dangling from his fingers as he saw her dip on finger into her glistening folds and she whispered, "Yeah, I need you," she murmured softly, as if she needed the confirmation her body was giving her, as if could have changed everything she already knew in her heart. Lorelai raised her hand, beckoning to him, her eyes locked on him as he crawled up over her.

Luke gently lowered his body to hers, his lips a fraction of an inch above hers and their breaths mingling as he pressed down into her yielding softness. "I need you to know something," he whispered.

"I know," she assured him.

"You do?"

"Me too," Lorelai said with a nod.

"I hope to God we're talking about the same thing," he said gruffly.

A smile lit her face as she reached down and urged him to her entrance. She moaned softly as she guided him into her wet heat. "Oh, yeah," she purred as he pressed into her, filling her slowly and deliberately.

In, out. So slow, so full, they fit so perfectly.

In, out. He slid into her slick heat, knowing that there was no where else on earth he would rather be.

In, out. Pushing deeper, taking her, making her his, driving her up, holding her to him.

In, out. Giving himself over to her mind, body and soul.

In, out. Wave after wave of pulsating pleasure swamping her, filling her veins with warm soft satisfaction, and leaving her with the absolute knowledge that this would not be enough. She would need him more.

In, out. Spilling himself into her, wishing that he could say all that he was yearning to say, the words filling his mind, his heart bursting with the need to tell her, his mouth clamped firmly shut as he prayed that it was more than he feared it would be.

In, out. Soft kisses given, sweet caresses received, and quiet sighs of relief laced with the apprehensive edge of regret captured and held. Taken in and given out.

His nose was buried in her hair, the soft straight strands tickling his cheek as she ran her nails lightly over his back. "Lorelai?" he breathed into her neck.

"Luke?"

"I need to tell you…"

"I know."

"You say that but I don't think you do," he sighed.

"But I do, Luke. I do," she said quietly as she stroked his hair.

"I need you. I need you in my life," he said stubbornly.

"And you have me."

Luke lifted his head and looked down at her, his eyes searching hers. "Do I?"

"Yeah. Yeah you do," Lorelai said as she rose up and kissed him softly.

"Okay, good," he said as he kissed her again. She lay back on the pillow again and he settled back into the crook of her neck.

"We'll work out the ins and outs of it all," she whispered to the ceiling as she tangled her fingers in his hair.

"Yeah."

Lorelai giggled and shifted beneath him a little. "Get it? Ins and outs?"

Luke groaned and burrowed into her neck, nipping at her skin gently. "Got it," he said with a chuckle. "You only want me for my body."

"Yeah, that's it," Lorelai said with a laugh, hugging him tightly. Lorelai drew in a deep breath and then blew it out slowly. "That was just what I needed," she said in an affectionately teasing tone.

"Glad I could help."

"You always help. That's why I always run to you," Lorelai told him.

Luke nodded and said, "Well, I'll always be here when you need me."

Lorelai smiled and said, "Counting on it." She kissed his hair softly and then whispered, "You can count on me too."

"I do," Luke answered quietly. "I do."


	16. I Wanna

A/N: I'm blaming **Iwannahorn** and **Grizzly** for this chapter. They should know by now how highly suggestible I am. I had to do it. This one falls under the category 'never in a million years', but that rarely matters to me. So, for **Iwannahorn**, here is a chapter dedicated to you. I have the prettiest leafy green veggie, everyone says so…

**I Wanna…**

The truck's engine droned, running like the well oiled machine that it was. The old bench seat groaned; bouncing them gently as the tires traversed the pothole riddled street. "There! McDonalds," Lorelai said as she pointed to their left.

The muscle in Luke's jaw jumped as he kept his eyes locked straight ahead.

"You'll feel better once you have something," she cajoled as they sped past the golden arches.

"I'm fine. You're cracked," Luke muttered.

"Hey, I won't be pressured into making this decision. It's a big decision and a lot of money," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"It's a car, it gets you from point A to point B," Luke growled.

"These cookies are good. I think I just put them in there the other day," Lorelai said as she began rummaging through her bag again.

"You think?" Luke asked with a snort.

"Come on, you know a nice vanilla milkshake always makes you feel better when you get like this," Lorelai said with a matter of fact shrug.

"I wouldn't get like this is you didn't drive me crazy."

"The tile was too big," Lorelai said, trying to smother her smile as she pretended to look through her bag. She pulled out a second baggie of Oreos and frowned as she held them both up. "Huh. Maybe this was the new one," she murmured.

Luke glanced over at her, took in her perplexed scowl, and a laugh escaped him. "See? Now you understand why I won't eat anything out of that bag?"

"Well, then, we need milkshakes. There's a Dairy Queen up there," Lorelai pointed out as she nodded to the sign.

Luke sighed in defeat, turned on his turn signal and braked abruptly, preparing to make the turn. His eyes flickered to the rearview mirror as the driver of compact car behind them laid on his horn to express his displeasure at the interruption in the flow of traffic. Lorelai turned in her seat to glare out of the back window at the rude driver protesting her impending triumph and then turned back to Luke with a blinding smile. And for a moment, she forgot all that lay between them. She reached over and gave his denim encased thigh a pat and then a gentle squeeze as she crowed, "I knew you couldn't resist me."

Luke looked over at her as he slowed to a stop behind a mini-van in the drive-thru lane. Her happy smile lit her eyes, turning them almost aqua as sparkled back at him in a way he hadn't seen in so long. He sucked in a quick breath and then exhaled; the word "No," softly filling the cab. "The tiles were just right, we just needed to make them work," he said in a low raspy voice.

Lorelai cocked her head, her smile fading a bit as she said, "Maybe."

"Not maybe. That's how you do it," Luke insisted.

"Okay," she agreed, a small crease forming between her brows as she tried to figure out if they were actually talking about tile. A tense silence enveloped the cab of the truck as they inched forward in line. Lorelai reached for the radio and turned it on, ignoring the static that filled the truck as she said, "I think they do those fruit smoothie things you like now,"

Luke narrowed his eyes as he scanned the advertisements posted along the drive-thru lane. "Real fruit or that flavoring crap they squirt out of the giant bottles?"

Lorelai shrugged and said, "How should I know, they lost me at fruit. I want the Snickers Bar Blizzard."

"Why don't you weigh five hundred pounds?" he muttered.

"I burn a lot of energy trying to drive you nuts."

"There wasn't anything that you liked back there?" Luke asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"Not a one," Lorelai said as she shook her head stubbornly.

"You're gonna have to do something."

"Says you. I can just keep riding my bike," she sniffed.

"You'll kill yourself."

"I am not a bad biker!" she cried.

"You had that earphone wire thing hanging out of your ear!"

"Hands free operation, both hands were on the handlebars, Luke," she retorted.

"You aren't paying attention to what's going on around you! A truck could ride up on you, and you wouldn't even know what hit you!" he insisted.

"Wouldn't be the first time I didn't see something coming until it hit me!" Lorelai shot back.

Luke's jaw dropped slightly, and then he clenched his teeth together, trying to rein it in as he turned to glare at the mini-van that had apparently decided to take up residence at the speaker. He cranked the wheel to the right, turned to look over his shoulder and pulled out of the drive-thru lane.

"What are you doing?" Lorelai asked impatiently.

"Screw the milkshake," he muttered under his breath. "I have to get out of here."

"What? Get out of here? Why?" Lorelai asked, incensed.

Luke drove straight into a spot at the rear of the parking lot and jerked to a stop. "Why? Why? You're making me insane, Lorelai! Take me car shopping, but I don't want these cars, I want my own car," he mocked in a high girly voice. "The bathroom tile was too big, your blood sugar is low, you like fruit smoothies!" he continued his voice rising as he curled his fingers, his hands shaking with barely contained frustration. "You can't resist me, Luke. Well, fine, I can't. There. Never have been able to, probably never will. You happy now? Is that what you want to hear?" he demanded.

Lorelai stared at him wide eyed, her breath coming fast and shallow as her heart pounded in her chest. "Yes," she managed to squeak out.

"Okay, fine," Luke said as he scrubbed on hand over his chin. "Now, do you want your hurricane thing or not?"

"Blizzard," she corrected softly.

"Whatever."

"Not," she answered.

Luke turned to look at her quizzically. "You don't?"

"No," Lorelai said as she shook her head.

Luke nodded and reached for the gear shift to put the truck in reverse, but Lorelai covered his hand with hers to stop him. He stared at her pale soft hand on top of his for a moment. He heard the click of her seatbelt and looked over at her questioningly. "You did say no, right?" he tried to clarify.

"Right," Lorelai confirmed as she reached for him. She grasped his face in both hands, pulled him across the seat and kissed him hard.

Luke's foot slipped off of the brake and the truck began to roll backward. He jammed his foot down again as he tore his mouth from hers.

"Don't resist me," she whispered. "Please don't resist me. I can't take it anymore."

And so he didn't. Instead, he set the parking brake and turned off the engine. And then he kissed her, his lips firm and warm against hers. Lorelai moaned her relief, her whole body relaxing for a fraction of a second before tensing again, coiled to spring. She pulled him closer, grunting in frustration when his seatbelt hindered them. Luke fumbled with the clip for a moment before it gave way. He flailed his arm wildly, trying to escape the nylon strap, and then leaned into her, parting her lips with his and deepening the kiss, pinning her beneath his weight.

Lips, teeth and tongues fought it out, bearing a year's worth of frustration and loneliness, struggling to make it all right again. His cap fell to the floorboard as she fisted her hands in his hair. She hung onto him, unwilling to let him go again now that she finally had him where she needed him. His mouth was hot and demanding on hers, taking in all that he had been missing. He sucked hard on the tender skin of her neck, wanting to mark her as his once and for all. Her teeth scraped over his stubble as she slipped one hand up under his flannel, tugging impatiently at his t-shirt, desperate to feel the warmth of his skin once more. His hand covered her breast, kneading it through her blouse, teasing her nipple with is fingers as he kissed his way down her throat. Lorelai felt him sink his teeth into her skin and moaned as she arched into him in complete surrender.

"Now, Luke. I need you now," she panted in his ear.

Luke understood in an instant that this was not about sex, or power, or even pleasure. He reached for the button on her pants and flicked it open as she undulated against his leg. His chest heaving, he pushed back, looking down at her pressed into the passenger door of his old truck. Lorelai sensed his hesitation, and reached for the zipper herself; looking at him steadily as she drew it down.

Luke licked his lips nervously and glanced around. "It's, uh, we're…"

"I don't care. I want you in me. Now," she said boldly. Lorelai raised her hips up off of the seat and pushed her pants and panties down over her hips as he watched in awe.

"We'll get arrested," he murmured almost to himself.

"Don't care," Lorelai said as she pushed her pants down over her knees.

"Here," Luke said as he bent to help her. He slipped the pants off of one leg, but left them dangling around her other ankle as he lifted her legs and pulled them into his lap. He ran his hands reverently over her silky smooth skin. "Is this really happening?"

"Yes, this is really happening," she confirmed with a soft smile.

"You do make me nuts," he said as he splayed his fingers over her thighs.

"We have to hurry, Luke," she reminded him. When he looked up at her, she smiled again and said, "Next time."

Luke nodded once and shifted around on the seat, fumbling with his pants as clung to the promise of a next time. As he tired to maneuver himself between her legs, Lorelai bent her knees as she sank down lower on the seat, trying to find a place to rest her foot. Finally, she pressed her heel to the inside of the steering wheel while she braced her other foot against his door. Luke pushed his jeans and boxers down off of his hips. "I don't think this is gonna work," he said as he half knelt on the floorboard, trying to position himself at her entrance.

"We'll make it work," she said as she clutched at his shoulder, urging him closer as she readjusted, pushing up to improve their angle.

Luke pressed his lips together in a firm line as he began to push into her, moving slowly to allow her to adjust to him. Lorelai smiled as she heard the familiar little puffs of breath escaping his lips. "My Luke," she whispered, her eyes shining.

Luke's smile was fleeting as he leaned down and kissed her heatedly. "Yeah, yours," he panted against her lips as he sank into her, burying himself in her as deep as he could go. "Lorelai, Lorelai," he whispered, happy just to be able to do so once more.

"Welcome home. The tiles are perfect," she said softly as she caressed his cheek.

Luke kissed her again and began to move, moving inside of her with short quick strokes. Knowing that they had to hurry, he ground against her with each thrust, desperately trying to bring her some pleasure before he completely lost control. He looked down at her and saw the serene smile curving her lips. "What?" he panted.

"Happy," she whispered.

"Are you paying attention here?" he asked raggedly, trying to hold on.

"I have exactly what I need," she said smugly. "We belong together, Luke."

Luke closed his eyes and drove into her harder, faster pushing her into the door with each thrust. "Yes, yes," he mumbled.

"Oh yes," Lorelai said as she pushed up into him. Her foot slipped and she lost leverage as his next thrust knocked her head against the passenger window. Lorelai desperately tried to regain her foothold as she felt him surging inside of her. A series of telltale grunts told her that he was too far gone now. She pushed her heel into the steering wheel again and clung to his back, losing herself the feel of him filling her with each hot stroke. She pressed into him, using the force of her own resistance to drive her over the edge. She pressed harder, her heel digging into the center of the steering wheel and the horn sounding loudly, startling them both from their breathless bliss.

"Oh my God," Lorelai said as she jerked her leg back, kneeing Luke in the ribs as he tried to peel himself off of her.

"Agh, Lorelai," he grunted as he grasped his side and made a grab for the dashboard.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," she giggled as she grasped the back of the seat and pulled herself up to peep over the edge of it. To her relief, the drive-thru lane was no deserted. "We just did it in the parking lot of a Dairy Queen at three in the afternoon," she said, casting him a sidelong glance.

"It's official, you have made me crazy," Luke said as he tugged his pants up, carefully tucking himself back into his shorts.

"Only took a decade," Lorelai said as she sat up and began trying to unravel her twisted pants legs.

Luke stared through the windshield as she dressed herself again, and then sat back in the seat, blowing out an exhausted breath. "I'm not as bendy as I used to be," she said with a wince.

Luke gripped the steering wheel for a moment, his knuckles turning white as he gnawed the inside of his cheek. Finally, he turned to her and started to say, "Lorelai, I'm…"

Lorelai held up one hand to stop him, but stared hard at the sun-faded dashboard. "Don't say you're sorry," she said in a rush. "For the love of God, Luke, please do not say you're sorry," she managed to choke out.

"No, I'm not. I mean, I am, because, well, the Dairy Queen?" he asked with a chuckle. "But I'm not. I'm not," he assured her.

"You're not," Lorelai breathed, turning to look at him at last.

Luke shook his head and let his hands slide down off of the steering wheel and into his lap. He twisted his fingers together, winding them around each other as he tried to formulate his thoughts. "I'm still in love with you. I'm, uh, not really sure what to do about it," he confessed in a low voice, sparing her a glance. "I'm not sure if I can get past all that stuff that happened, but I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna get past that, this, us."

"I don't want you to," she said quickly. Lorelai scooted closer to him on the seat. "Please don't get past us. I'm in the same boat."

"You are?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh yeah," she said with a nervous laugh. "Nothing has been right, Luke. Nothing. Today was the first day in, God, so long, that something felt right. I want to be right."

"Yeah?"

"I want to fight with you over bathroom tiles. I want to force feed you junk food from the depths of my purse. I don't care if your blood sugar is low, or if you just want to throttle me, I just want to be with you," she told him.

"You think we can do this again?" he asked cautiously.

"I think we can do it better," she said with a sly smile.

"I'll be better. I promise," he said sincerely.

"Me too. I promise too," she assured him.

Luke nodded and leaned over to kiss her softly. Lorelai smiled as he pulled back and whispered, "Sealed with a kiss."

Luke nodded and said, "We can do this."

"Piece of cake."

"Just like riding a bike," he told her.

"Without the ear thingy in," she answered with a smile.

"You're gonna be the death of me," he said with a soft chuckle.

"Your blood sugar is just low. Let's get you a milkshake," Lorelai suggested with a bright smile. When he turned to glare at her, Lorelai pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth and settled onto the seat right beside him. "Gonna be so good," she murmured softly as he started the truck and released the brake.

Luke swung his arm up over her, turning to look behind him as he backed out. "I'm getting you a smoothie, you don't need all of that other crap," he muttered.

"Snickers," Lorelai insisted as she ran her hand lightly over his thigh.

Luke pulled up to the drive-thru speaker and shot her an exasperated glance as the disembodied voice greeted them. He leaned out of the window a little and said, "Yeah, I need a small strawberry-banana smoothie and a large Snickers snowstorm thing."

Lorelai giggled as their order was repeated back to them and Luke began to pull around. "You do that on purpose," she accused.

Luke pulled to a stop at the window and turned to look at her with a small smile. "Maybe. You're only getting this is you promise to clean out that purse. Someone's gonna get salmonella poisoning," he added darkly.

"Oreo?" Lorelai offered as she plucked one of the baggies from her purse and opened it.

Luke rolled his eyes as he accepted the proffered cookie and sniffed it cautiously. Lorelai laughed, throwing her head back in delight, and Luke smiled as he took a small bite before handing it back to her to finish.

Lorelai smirked and said, "Now, that's taking the 'til death to we part thing a bit too far."

"I'm going down, I'm taking you with me," Luke said with a shrug. "That's the way it's gonna be."

Lorelai popped the remainder of the cookie into her mouth and chewed as she nodded slowly. "I can live with that."


	17. Dear Luke and Lorelai,

**Dear Luke and Lorelai, **

**We'd Like You to Get Naked Now**

**Love, Mags**

Stars Hollow was dark and its residents fast asleep in the warm snuggly beds by the time Lorelai pulled to a stop at the one and only stoplight in town, which, of course, was red. She glanced over at her sleeping daughter and then up at the diner, frowning as she saw that the lights were still on. The light turned green and Lorelai proceeded slowly turning her head to catch a glimpse of Luke sitting at a table talking and laughing with the skinny lawyer chick that he apparently had a date with earlier that evening. Wow, was that just tonight? she wondered. Seems like days ago.

She steered the Jeep toward home, roused Rory, and helped her drowsy little girl to bed. Fifteen minutes later, she hovered in Rory's bedroom doorway, just watching her daughter's deep even breathing, and lost in memories of the night Rory came into her life. With a restless sigh, Lorelai forced herself push away from the doorframe. _I'm happy for Christopher, I really am,_ she told herself firmly. _He seems happy. Sherry seems happy. And Gigi, well, she's adorable. So tiny. Was Rory really that tiny once?_

Knowing that she wasn't going to be able to sleep any time soon, Lorelai grabbed her coat from the rack and slipped into it. She pulled her gloves and hat from her pocket as she closed the front door quietly behind her, and then drew in a lungful of the crisp cold night air. She began walking slowly, meandering really, winding down the driveway and toward the center of town as aimlessly as her thoughts. Letting them carry her along for the ride, sure that once she gave her mind free rein she would be able to crawl into her bed and sleep away the aching emptiness that gnawed at her gut.

She crossed the square, drawn like a moth to a flame to the lights still burning in her favorite coffee emporium. "Mmm, coffee," she murmured to herself. She glanced up and down the street and noticed that the little silver sedan that was parked there earlier was now gone. With a small smile curving her lips, Lorelai hurried across the street and up the diner steps just as she saw Luke lift the coffee pot from the burner to dump its contents down the sink. She tried the door handle, but it was locked. Luke looked up in surprise when he heard it rattle, and promptly scowled as Lorelai pointed frantically to the pot in his hand.

"Please, Luke?" Lorelai called through the window.

Luke rolled his eyes and crossed to the door, coffee pot still in hand. He flipped the lock and jerked the door open. "It's late, you don't need it," he said by way of greeting.

"I do need it. I need it like you wouldn't believe," Lorelai said desperately.

With a resigned sigh, he stepped back and jerked his head for her to enter. "It's past midnight," he grumbled.

"I know. Late for you, Mister Early Bird," Lorelai said with a grin. "Your, uh, date went well?" she asked, her eyes following him as he went behind the counter and pulled out a clean mug.

"It was fine," Luke answered briefly.

"Fine? Just fine?" she asked, circling her hand to indicate that she expected him to be more forthcoming. Lorelai shrugged out of her coat as she watched him expectantly.

"She's nice. We had a nice time," Luke answered as he pushed the mug across the counter.

Lorelai wrapped both hands around the bowl of the mug and murmured, "Damn you, faint praise," as she lifted it to her lips.

"What do you want me to say? It was a first date. First dates as a rule suck, so if you can get through one with it being fine, then that's good, right?"

"I really hope you used that reasoning on her. Who could possibly resist such a smooth line," Lorelai teased as she set the mug down. She looked up at him a little shyly and asked, "Did you, uh, like her?"

"Sure," Luke said easily.

Lorelai cocked her head and said, "Never pictured you dating a lawyer."

"Who have you pictured me dating?"

Lorelai shook her head a little and said, "Oh, I don't know. I guess I've only ever seen you with Rachel, and that was weird too."

"Weird? Weird why? I mean, why is it so weird that I date someone?" Luke asked, clearly offended.

"Oh, no," Lorelai said quickly. "I just, you're Luke," she said lamely.

"And that means?"

Lorelai opened her mouth, but suddenly found the words that were right there, had run away. Instead, she did what she did best. Her eyes raked over his snug sweater and up to his clean shaven face. "You look good," she said with a winning smile.

"Good enough to date?" Luke asked snidely as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Lorelai found herself suddenly mesmerized by the way his muscles tensed and flexed under that fine gauge wool of the sweater she had chosen for him many moons before. "Yes," she said quietly.

"Well, okay then," Luke said with a nod. He uncoiled those strong arms and reached for a towel and the spray bottle of disinfectant, skirting the end of the counter as he made his way to the table he and Nicole had shared just a short time before. Lorelai turned on her stool, her eyes following his every movement as he cleared the table and then carefully wiped it down.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Can I stop you?"

"Seriously, Luke."

Luke glanced back at her over his shoulder as he began wiping down one chair. "What?"

"How come you never tried to ask me out?"

Luke froze, holding the chair he had just lifted halfway between the floor and the table top. "What?"

"I mean, maybe back when we didn't know each other so well," Lorelai babbled, the heat rising in her cheeks. "You know, you were single, I was single."

"Still are," he pointed out, trying to buy some time as he turned the chair over and put it on the table.

"I guess," Lorelai conceded with a nod. "I'm probably just not your type, right? I mean, I'm nothing like Rachel, and from what I saw of this girl, probably not much like her either. Is that it? I mean, not that its any big deal, I'm just curious," she added with a hollow laugh.

"I guess I never really thought that I had a type," Luke said slowly.

"Well, maybe not really a type, but just not someone like me," Lorelai corrected. "I mean, I can understand now, we're friends. You probably know waaaay too much about me now to even think about that. But, you know, then, you didn't know…"

"I never thought you'd want to go out with me," he blurted, cutting her off as he grabbed the towel and began wiping down the other chair.

"Really?" Lorelai wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Why?"

"Well, you're, uh, and I'm…" he stammered.

"Is it because I have a kid?"

"What? No!" Luke tossed the towel he held clutched in his hand down on the table as he shook his head vehemently. "Hell, I like Rory better than you most of the time," he added quickly.

"You weren't just admitting something weird to me just then, we're you?" Lorelai asked with a puzzled frown.

Luke pointed a stern finger at her and said, "Don't even!"

"Well!"

"No 'well', and you know it," Luke said gruffly. "I just mean that Rory and I tend to see eye to eye more often than you and me."

"That's true," Lorelai agreed. "So you just thought we wouldn't get along?"

"No, it's not that."

"Because I think that we get along pretty well, I mean, other than the obvious differences of opinion on the coffee and the food."

"Why are you asking me this?"

Lorelai shrugged and said, "Weird night. You had a date with some girl I've never seen before. I had lots of quality time alone with my mother before I got to drive to Boston to wait for Christopher's baby to be born. It just got me thinking."

"Christopher's baby?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yep, Rory has a little sister. Georgia, but they're gonna call her Gigi," she reported.

"I see," Luke said; an edge of suspicion coloring his tone.

"No, it's not about that, Luke," Lorelai said, immediately picking up on his thoughts. "I just, I was remembering what it was like then. Pregnant at sixteen, not getting along with my parents for the obvious reasons and so much more, that little tiny baby, my little tiny baby. She was mine," Lorelai said in a whisper as a rush of tears clogged her throat. "Mine and mine alone. I mean, Christopher was there, but he was never there, there," she struggled to explain. "And as I saw him there, tonight, at the hospital, I realized that he never would be there the way Rory needs him to be, the way he will be for Gigi."

"She has you. You're more than enough."

Lorelai smiled sadly as she shook her head. "It takes a village, right? This was my village. Everyone, all of you, you were all there for Rory in a way that her own father never was. That's what I was thinking about tonight. Not that I was jealous of Chris, or wish that I had him. I was feeling bad for them because they wouldn't have Morey to try and try to teach her to play the piano even though she clearly had no musical talent, or Patty to tell her that she was the prettiest ballerina, even if she had two left feet and fell three times at the spring recital."

"I remember hearing about that," Luke said with a smile.

"And you, always you. She always had you from the minute you laid eyes on her. You think I didn't notice, but I did," she said with a watery smile. "Letting her do her homework here when I had to work late, pieces of pie, donuts and plates of fries run on a tab that never existed, bookshelves," she trailed off in a whisper.

"She's a great girl. You've done a great job raising her," Luke said sincerely.

"We all have," Lorelai agreed with a nod. She wiped a stray tear away and flashed a sheepish smile. "Big night," she chuckled.

"It's late," Luke said with a nod.

"Did you ever want to ask me out?" Lorelai asked, circling the conversation back to where they started.

"Well, yeah," Luke said with a chuckle of disbelief.

"But you didn't because you didn't think I would say yes," she prodded.

"Pretty much."

"Chicken," she said softly.

"Coward," Luke agreed.

"You were wrong. Just so you know," Lorelai said as she took a sip of her coffee, watching him over the rim of her mug.

"How's the fishing guy?" Luke asked gruffly.

"He's fine. You know, nice, we had a nice time," she echoed his own words back to him with a wicked smile. When she saw his frown, Lorelai shook her head. "It's nothing serious."

"I see," Luke said slowly as he nodded. "I do like Nicole," he told her as he took a small step closer to her.

"I like Alex," Lorelai answered, lifting her chin defiantly as she stared at him from her stool.

Luke's lips twisted into a smirk as he came to a stop in front of her. "Well, good for us then, huh?"

"Yeah, good for us," Lorelai whispered, tilting her face up toward his.

"Sucks for them, though," Luke said as he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. This kiss carried none of the nervous hesitation that marked the soft kiss he had given Nicole less than an hour earlier. Lorelai returned it with an urgency that was nowhere to be found whenever Alex kissed her. Luke's fingers wound into her hair, tilting her head back as he kissed her over and over again; finally taking his fill of Lorelai Gilmore.

Lorelai exhaled loudly and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as Luke kissed his way across her cheek and down to her jaw. "Ask me. Ask me, Luke," she whispered to the ceiling.

"Have dinner with me?" Luke growled as he nipped at her ear lobe.

"Yes."

Luke pressed his lips to the soft skin below her ear and felt her pulse jump. "Date me, only me," he murmured against her skin.

Lorelai slid from the stool, pressing up into him as she straightened up, holding the back of his head to keep him right there; doing whatever that was that his tongue was doing to the tender skin beneath her jaw. "Okay."

"I've wanted you for so long. Forever," Luke said as he tugged the softly folded neck of her turtleneck down and pressed his hot, wet mouth to the side of her neck.

"No more skinny lawyers for you," Lorelai told him.

"Don't want them. You," Luke said in a raspy voice as he lifted his head and stared into her eyes. "Only you."

"Only me," Lorelai whispered.

Luke shrugged a little and said, "Well, you and Rory. Not, you know, like this, but the package thing you were talking about a few months ago."

Lorelai gaped at him for a moment and then laughed. "Wow, I was trying to get you to take me out for a pizza."

"Or that," Luke said quickly.

Lorelai's smile was warm as she ran her hand over his sweater clad shoulder. "You knew I'd get it," she murmured.

"I want to be the one," Luke said without reservation. "I want that too."

She ran her hand over his smooth cheek, vaguely disappointed that they stubble wasn't there for her to test. "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"I know its way past your bedtime and all, so I just want to make sure that you realize that you just asked me out, made a commitment to dating only me, basically proposed, and offered to father my children," she said quietly.

"Yep. No dog, though. I don't like dogs," Luke answered with a nod.

"Wow. You know, for a guy who moves so slow most of the time, you can move pretty fast sometimes," Lorelai chuckled.

Luke kissed her softly. "I just wanted to make sure you knew what I wanted. We can take the rest as fast or as slow as you say, but that's what I want."

"Gotcha," Lorelai said as she pulled him back to her. "Kiss me. I think I want this part kinda fast, but real slow at the same time."

He chuckled against her lips. When they parted again, Luke smiled and said, "I got that, by the way."

"That's a little sad for you," Lorelai teased.

"Maybe I should rethink this. If I'm already warped enough to understand what you just said…" he let the thought trail off meaningfully.

"There's no hope for you."

"Hopeless," he concurred.

"Was there going to be a second date?" she asked.

"Can we have the first one first?"

"You're the one who skipped right to the white picket fence," Lorelai pointed out. "I meant for her."

"Um, nothing real, uh, concrete. What about Fish Boy?"

Lorelai smirked and said, "Wow. That really got under your skin, huh?"

Luke smirked back and said, "Cause and effect. You have Fish Boy, I asked out the skinny lawyer."

"And if I lose the Fish Boy, you'll lose Ally McBeal?"

"Deal."

Lorelai kissed him again and then whispered, "Quid pro quo." When Luke chuckled, she smiled and added, "Tit for tat."

"I have a tattoo," Luke said in a low deep voice.

"And I have the rest," Lorelai answered as she grasped his hair and kissed him hard. Her lips parted beneath his and she groaned; arching into him as his tongue tangled with hers. Her hands slid down over the hard muscle of his back and then over the curve of his ass, caressing him through the thin material of his pants. The kiss deepened as she pulled him to her, her body sliding against his in a languorous dance of discovery and desire.

Fueled by her response, Luke splayed his hands across her narrow waist, letting them glide up over her ribs and teasing the sides of her breasts with his thumbs. "Oh yes," Lorelai gasped as he tore his mouth away to begin his assault on her neck and throat all over again, nudging the turtleneck aside with his nose. She leaned back, offering him access to her breasts as she squeezed his ass, keeping him pressed firmly to her. "Off. Take it off, its in the way," she panted.

"Can't. Diner," Luke murmured. He captured her lips as his hands covered her breasts. He groaned deep in his throat as he caressed her, his breath hitching as she ground against his obvious arousal.

"Upstairs."

"Jess."

"Store room," she said desperately.

"Oh God," he breathed, pressing his forehead to hers as he gently removed his hands.

"Don't stop. Don't stop," Lorelai whispered as she ducked her head and kissed him eagerly.

"Date. Dinner," he mumbled, trying to remind himself as much as Lorelai.

"Store room. Want you," she retaliated.

"Lorelai," he said raggedly.

"You said you wanted it all," she said as she slipped one hand between them and ran her fingers teasingly over the straining bulge in his pants.

"I do."

"You said you wanted me."

"You know I do."

"I want you too," she whispered in his ear.

"I'm not gonna do that in the store room," Luke said gruffly.

"Why not? Tell me you haven't thought about it," she challenged. "I have."

"You have?" he asked as he reared back to look at her.

Lorelai grinned as she leaned in to kiss him lightly. "Luke, there's not a woman in Stars Hollow who hasn't thought about cornering you in that store room and ripping the flannel right off of you."

"You're nuts," he snorted. Lorelai ran her hands over his chest as she looked up at him through her lashes, her lips curving into a secret smile that told him that she was not lying. "Really?"

"Sure. I wonder what the others do about the hat. On or off?"

"There are no others," Luke said firmly.

It was Lorelai's turn to laugh as she asked, "Babette? Miss Patty?"

Luke shook his head. "They like to tease, but they wouldn't really."

"Babette? Miss Patty?" Lorelai asked again, this time arching an eyebrow at him.

"Stop that."

"Oh, if they thought they could, they would," Lorelai assured him as her clever fingers made their way under the hem of his sweater. "Mmm," she hummed as she ran her fingertips through the soft hair on his stomach. "Let me be the one," she said softly, her parted lips hovering close to his. "Take me back there and we can see how many state and local ordinances we can break as long as we're raising your insurance premiums."

"That makes it even more tempting," he said dryly.

"Oh, you're tempted," Lorelai said as she brushed her lips over his. The words lingered on his lips as her fingers moved lower, stroking the length of his erection through his pants. "Take me," she said in the barest whisper, snapping his self control.

Luke grabbed her wrist, pulling it away from his crotch as he stepped into her. Kissing her hungrily as he backed her into the counter, his arms banded around her lifting her off of her feet. Lorelai pressed her hands to the counter and pushed up as he set her up above him, his lips never leaving hers. Trying to catch her balance, Lorelai kicked one leg out, knocking over the stool she had perched on not long before. His hands stroked her thighs, kneading them with his strong fingers before they found their way under her sweater. Lorelai moaned into his mouth, resisting the urge to arch her back, to beg for more. Warm and rough against her soft skin, his fingers pressed into her flesh as they traveled higher, pulling the sweater up and baring her stomach as they caressed her breasts.

"Here, here," Lorelai panted.

"Not gonna happen here," Luke answered between kisses.

Lorelai wrapped her legs around his torso and locked her ankles together. "Take me in back," she ordered as she wound her arms tightly around his neck, pressing herself to his stomach and rubbing against him wantonly as she arched into his hands.

He could feel the heat of her arousal seeping through her pants, searing through his sweater, heating his skin. He pinched her nipples through her bra, barely able to contain his lust. With a grunt of surrender, Luke pulled his hands from her sweater, cupped her bottom and scooped her off of the counter. "Stop wiggling," he ordered as he tried to keep a firm hold on her.

"Can't stop," Lorelai giggled as she clung to him, gripping him tightly with her arms and legs as he tried to step carefully around the overturned stool. She turned her head and sank her teeth gently into his neck, breathing deeply as she soothed the abused spot with her tongue. "I want you, I want you," she murmured against his skin.

"God, Lorelai," Luke groaned as he maneuvered them through the doorway and into the storage area.

"Door, clothes, hands," she said urgently.

"Any verbs?" he asked with a breathless laugh as he lowered her to the ground.

"Close the door, take off your clothes, and put your hands back on me," Lorelai translated with a saucy smile.

Luke closed the store room door and carefully locked it. As he turned back to her he asked, "Just my clothes?"

"We'll start with you," Lorelai said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"I see," Luke said as he reached up and pulled at the neck of his sweater. He removed it and dropped it carelessly to the floor in one smooth motion.

Lorelai stared at his bare chest wide eyed. "Yowza."

"Yowza?"

"It's good, very good," Lorelai assured him as she began to run her hands greedily over him bare skin. "You're just lucky this is me. I can show some restraint," she said solemnly.

Luke laughed and asked, "This is restraint?"

"Please, if any of those other women had gotten a hold on you, there'd be nothing left," she said dismissively. "Not that I blame them."

"Nothing left, huh?"

"I'll be gentle," Lorelai promised as she ran her hands appreciatively over his shoulders.

"I think I can take it," he said as he reached for the bottom of her sweater, running the fabric trough his hands as he waited for her permission.

"You don't know what I'm capable of," Lorelai warned as she raised her arms up.

"I'm not afraid," he assured her as he pulled the sweater up to reveal an aqua blue satin bra.

Luke drew in a breath as Lorelai flailed her arm blindly, the turtleneck of her sweater caught on her chin. She pushed the up over her face and exhaled loudly. "I got lost for a second there," she teased.

"I don't get the whole turtleneck thing. Your neck gets cold, wear a scarf," Luke muttered as he ducked his head and began to warm her neck with his lips.

"Suck any harder there and I'll be wearing one tomorrow," Lorelai said a few moments later.

"Sorry," he exhaled. "You taste good."

"Oh, well then, I can't blame you then," Lorelai laughed as she ran her hands up over his smooth back. "You feel good. Hot. Your skin is so warm."

"Well, you know," Luke chuckled as he kissed his way across her collarbone. He spread on hand over her back, subtly ascertaining that her bra hooked from behind, and then quickly undoing it.

Lorelai grinned at his display of skill. "Oh my, he's a professional."

"I don't get paid."

"God, I hope not. I didn't bring my purse."

Luke pulled back, his eyes dropping as he smoothed the straps of her bra down her arms. Once it fell to the floor between them, he pulled her to him, a soft groan escaping his lips as the tips of her breasts pressed into his chest. "This is nuts," he murmured.

"This feels good," Lorelai said as she spread her fingers over his back, holding him close.

"So good," he agreed as his heart thundered in his chest.

He pressed one hand to her cheek, tipping her head up slightly so that he could kiss her again. The first was as soft as the feel of her skin against his. The second kiss was as firm and demanding as his hard muscles pressing into her. The third, forth fifth and sixth grew more and more heated, eclipsing the warmth of his skin until she was drench in the heat of desire raw and hungry. Lorelai tugged impatiently on his belt, fumbling with it as she tried to free it. Luke propelled her back until she bumped into the old wooden table he used to unpack boxes of supplies. With a flick of his hand, Luke sent an empty carton and the metal box cutter lying on the table flying.

"You'll be looking for that later," Lorelai muttered as she opened the button on his pants.

"Couldn't care less right now," Luke answered as he kissed her again, bending her back over the edge of the table.

Lorelai whimpered in frustration and literally had to keep herself from stomping her foot when he pulled away from her busy hands. His lips claimed the soft skin of her throat as his own, his teeth teased her with an edge of danger, his tongue danced and swirled over her; dipping into the hollow at the curve of her neck before continuing its downward descent.

He captured on rose tipped breast with those flashing white teeth, worrying it gently before pulling it into his mouth and sucking ardently. Lorelai's hips bucked away from the table, desperately seeking the friction she craved. She hurriedly unbuttoned her own pants, marveling at the rush of heat between her legs as she pulled the zipper down. "I don't know what to do," she murmured nonsensically.

"What?" Luke asked, looking up at her worriedly.

Lorelai was breathing heavily through parted lips as she met his gaze. She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue and then said, "I don't know what to do."

Luke blinked in confusion, covering her damp breast with his hand to warm it. "About what?"

"I've never felt like this before," she confessed.

"Good? Bad?" he probed as he began to straighten up.

"No! Good," Lorelai said as she pressed him back down, offering up her other breast. "So good."

Luke looked up at her warily, and then gently kissed his way across the soft mound. He watched her through his lashes as she watched his tongue circle her tight nipple. When he finally closed his lips around it, the dam broke.

Lorelai clutched the back of his head, holding him to her as she pressed hard into the table, scooting it across the cement floor. "I've never been like this before," she confessed. "Not like this."

Luke drew her deeper into his mouth, groaning his approval of her words. He lifted her up, urging her onto the table.

"I've never wanted anyone like this. Not like this," she told him as she ran her hands through his hair and down onto his back.

"Like what?" he asked as he moved back to her other breast.

Lorelai let her hand slide from his back and pressed it to her own stomach. "Like this, this," she said impatiently as she pushed her fingers into her panties. "God, I'm so wet," she said in an awed voice. "We've barely even started."

Luke drew in a sharp breath as he released her nipple and looked down to see her touching herself. He quickly pulled her hand from her pants and raised her damp fingertips to his lips. He looked up at her boldly as he said, "That's my job," and then proceeded to suck the moisture from them.

Lorelai stared at him, her mouth agape as he pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand and then released it. He bent to take her nipple into his mouth once more, but this time slipped his own fingers into the opening of her pants. Lorelai ground against him as he stroked her clit, matching his rhythm to each pull of his mouth. When he moved to take her other breast, Lorelai gasped, "Don't, oh, don't stop."

"I'm not," he assured her as he suckled on the beaded tip of her, toying with her with his lips.

"Luke," she breathed in a warning tone. Luke's eyes widened slightly as she clamped her thighs together, holding his hand in place, gyrating wildly against him. The first wave of her orgasm slammed into her, taking them both by surprise. "Luke!" Lorelai cried out.

Luke hummed against the soft flesh of her breast, continuing to draw her into his mouth as she rode out her climax. When he lifted his head at last, his long fingers slowed and he brought her back down with soft kisses. At last, he pulled his fingers from her pants, and she shivered slightly as the damp tips trailed over her flushed skin. Luke smiled smugly as he sucked his own fingers one by one, his eyes locked on hers. His smile warmed as he took in her mussed hair, red swollen lips and the dazed blue eyes that stared back at him. "I can die a happy man," he said with a deep chuckle.

"I don't know what happened. I've never been like that before," she told him.

"No?"

"Not like that, not that easy."

"Nothing about you is easy, Lorelai," Luke teased as he smoothed her hair back over her shoulder.

"I meant fast," she said impatiently.

"I'm taking it as a compliment," he said as the smile spread over his face.

"You should." Luke kissed her deeply, all of the aching need burning inside of him borne on the tip of his questing tongue. "Wow, not good enough?" she teased as he pulled away.

"You started this. Not finished," he said as he gripped her hips and motioned for her to lift up. He pulled on the waistband of her pants, dragging the sunshine yellow panties she wore down with them.

Lorelai smiled when he paused to unzip her boots and dropped them one by one to the floor. "What are you gonna do with me?" she asked coyly.

"Everything," Luke answered succinctly as he pulled her pants down over her ankles and dropped them on top of her boots.

He kissed her again, pressing into the side of the table as he nudged her back further. His hungry mouth devoured her creamy skin, steadily making his way down between her breasts, not allowing himself to be distracted by their soft allure. He pressed hot open-mouthed kisses to her stomach as he parted her legs with his hands. Lorelai moaned in anticipation as he nuzzled the soft, damp curls at the apex of her legs, and then cried out in shock and pleasure as he pressed his tongue firmly to her clit.

"Oh," Lorelai breathed, drawing the word out as he circled her with his tongue.

The sensations shot through her body, raising goose bumps on her arms as a shiver danced up her spine. His lips, teeth and tongue drove her steadily higher, relentless in his quest to please her again. He pressed his tongue to her entrance, thrusting into her quickly and then retreating to torment her clit once more. Over and over again, he plunged into her, each time drawing on her more greedily, lapping at her juices as he groaned against her. Luke stroked the inside of her thigh with his thumb as he reached for the zipper on his pants. The weight of his belt, wallet and keys pulled them to his ankles as Lorelai gasped and writhed beneath his ardent ministrations.

"Now, Luke, now," she panted, and he didn't have to be told a second time. Luke pushed his boxer briefs down and braced one hand on the table as he stood poised between her legs. Lorelai rose up and pulled him down for a kiss, thrusting her hips at him as she tasted herself on his tongue.

Luke entered her with one thrust, grasping her hip with his other hand, his fingers digging into her tender skin. "Christ," he breathed as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Oh!" Lorelai cried as the shudders of her second climax took hold. "Oh my God!"

Luke pushed into her deeper, holding himself still as she bucked against him, and opening his eyes to watch her come. "Lorelai," he croaked as he watched the pleasure soften and blur her features. "Mine," he whispered to himself.

"Yes, yes," she answered as she bore down on him, impaling herself on his hard cock. "Oh, yes, yours," she murmured as the tremors subsided.

Luke waited, the muscle in his clenched jaw jumping as he watched her slow. He bent down and kissed her gently. "Open your eyes, Lorelai," he commanded in a soft, deep voice. Lorelai's bright blue eyes fixed on his, lost in the fathomless depth of ocean blue. "I want you with me."

"I can't," she said weakly.

"You will," he said, setting his jaw firmly as he began to move inside of her. "Unbelievable," he whispered as her wet, soft walls closed around him. "Better," he managed to utter.

"Better?" Lorelai asked softly, lost in the sensation of him filling her.

"Dream," he murmured.

"You've dreamed about me?" she asked.

Luke pulled back until he stood poised at the very brink. He thrust into her hard, burying himself in her heat as she cried out softly. "Always." Lorelai's eyes closed involuntarily as she absorbed his words. "Look at me," he said quietly. "I need you to look at me."

When she opened her eyes, Lorelai saw him looking down at their joined bodies as he pulled away from her again. She looked down and saw his hard shaft coated with her juices and moaned. "Look at you."

"Look at us," he told her as he thrust into her again, pulling her hips up to meet him.

"You're, oh," Lorelai whispered. "Please, please, please."

"Please what, Lorelai?" Luke asked, able to gain more control as he knew she was losing it.

"Please, faster."

Luke began to thrust into her with long, hard strokes, fighting back the urge to fill her, dying to make this last.

"Oh, Luke, faster," Lorelai moaned as she grasped his arm, feeling the taut straining muscles jump under her touch.

Upon her command, Luke moved faster, his breath ragged, coming in puffs and grunts as she squeezed him tightly. Lorelai watched as his mouth grew slack and his eyes grew heavy. His hand glided from her hip to her stomach, and he pressed his thumb to her swollen clit, massaging her with each stroke of his cock.

"I'm gonna come again," she whispered in disbelief.

"Yes," Luke ground the word from his dry throat.

"Oh Luke, oh," Lorelai whimpered as her nails dug into his arm.

He drove into her, blinded by desire, desperate for her release as well as his own. "Come, come," he panted.

Lorelai writhed as he stroked her faster with his thumb. This time, her climax was softer, washing through her body in one gentle wave, turning her muscles to liquid as she melted into the table. Luke gave a strangled groan and then thrust into her faster, spilling hot and wet into the molten heat of her. "Lorelai," he whispered, her name falling from his lips like a caress.

Lorelai blinked lazily as he slowed, watching as his chest rose and fell, gulping precious oxygen into his lungs. She tried to smile up at him, but could barely muster the control over her facial muscles. "You've killed me. I'm dead, right?"

Luke chuckled and shook his head as he swallowed hard, trying to wet his dry throat. "That would be wrong," he managed to say at last.

"And this was right. So right," Lorelai said as she stroked his arm lazily.

Luke looked down as her as she lay splayed on the wobbly old table. "I'm keeping you here."

"Right here?" Lorelai asked with a feline smile.

"Just like this," Luke affirmed.

"Wow. I'm sure there's a pickle joke to be had, but I just don't have the strength," she said with a chuckle.

"Just remember, it's dangerous for you to come here all alone, late at night," he said as he leaned down onto his elbow and pressed his lips to her breastbone.

"So dangerous. So fabulously dangerous." She stroked the back of his hair and said, "Okay, I'll stay here."

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"I'm fantastic," she drawled.

"You are."

"No, you are," she countered.

"Don't start," he said gruffly.

"So, this date we're going on," Lorelai said with a smile.

"Yes?"

"Tell me, how do you feel about room service food?"

"Uh uh. No way," Luke said as he pushed himself up to look down at her. "We're going out on a real date. I'll pick you up, we'll have dinner, I'll take you home and kiss you goodnight at your door."

"And then you sneak up to my room?" she asked hopefully.

"No, and then I call you the next day and make plans to do it again. The date, not 'it'," he added preemptively.

"When do I get you naked?" she asked with a concerned frown.

"Not until the third date. I'm not that easy," Luke said with a smirk.

"You feel so good inside of me," Lorelai whispered with a wicked smile.

"Second, maybe," Luke amended.

"Put out on the first, and I'll tell you about all of my dirty diner fantasies," she tempted.

"If I don't hold out a little, you'll never make an honest man of me," Luke said gravely.

"About the dog thing," Lorelai said, abruptly changing the subject.

"Non-negotiable," he growled.

Lorelai reached down and squeezed his ass holding him tightly inside of her as she tensed her muscles. She saw his eyes widen a bit and smiled as she said, "Everything is negotiable."


	18. Haunted Lips

**A/N: **Once again my heartfelt thanks go out to **IkilledKenny** for her unflagging generosity to the Support Stacie auctions and to this humbled writer in particular. She purchased this chapter in the Meet and Greet Silent Auction with yet another breathtaking donation. I also want to congratulate her on adhering to her Mags 12 Step Program and leaving the two other chapters up for others to bid on. Anyway, **Kenny**, you rock!

**Pooh** also reminded me to put in my note that I adore her, but I think that may be self-evident at this point. What she didn't have to remind me to do was to mention that we are having another Author Auction in April. I will once again put myself up on the block, and I encourage all of you writers out there to do so too. Those of you who do not write, be sure to come and hang out in the threads with us. The trash talk alone is worth the price of admission, which is free, by the way. I will post more information on my LJ page and in the threads as soon as I get it!

So, **IkilledKenny** gave me my choice of three episodes, and I picked _Haunted Leg_ because it is one of my favorites. I hope that you enjoy it!

**Haunted Lips**

"Bless you," Rory said as Lorelai plucked a paper napkin from the dispenser to wipe her nose.

"Thank you. Ugh, I hate having a cold," Lorelai moaned.

"I know you do."

"Ugh, it's bad enough being sick, but anybody can have a cold."

"I know they can," Rory said sympathetically.

"I mean, I'd like to have a good illness, something different, impressive. Just once I'd like to be able to say, 'Yeah, I'm not feeling so good, my leg is haunted,' or something like that," Lorelai said petulantly.

"See, there's a reason why you only take one packet of TheraFlu at a time."

Lorelai waved her hand dismissively, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Luke appeared at their table with an armload of plates. "All right, pancakes, one fried egg, side of bacon," he recited as he slide a plate in front of Rory. "Chicken noodle soup, side of mashed potatoes," he grumbled as he placed a bowl of soup and a smaller plate of mashed potatoes in front of Lorelai.

"Thanks, Luke," Rory said as she grabbed her fork and prepared to dig in.

"Thanks," Lorelai said listlessly.

"How's the cold coming?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"Its fine," Lorelai answered with a dismissive shrug.

"Any better?"

"It's fine," she repeated.

"It's the third day in a row you've ordered soup for breakfast," he pointed out. "It's August, I don't even have soup on the menu in August," he grumbled, remember his mad dash to make a pot of chicken soup at 8:00AM two days before.

"Oh, thanks for the tally."

"You know what helps get rid of a cold?" he persisted.

"Endless vague questioning first thing in the morning?" Lorelai asked in an overly sweet tone.

"A healthy immune system."

"My second guess," Lorelai mumbled as she picked up her spoon and scowled at the bright orange carrots floating in her bowl.

"And you know how you get a healthy immune system?" Luke continued.

Lorelai looked up at him and asked, "Remember when you hated me? That was fun, wasn't it?"

Luke went on, undeterred. "Is it eating nothing but crap all day and blowing out your brain cells with coffee?"

"No," Rory answered automatically.

Luke nodded to her and said, "That's right, no."

"Why are you helping him?" Lorelai asked Rory indignantly.

"No seemed like the right answer," Rory said helplessly.

"Eat a vegetable now and then, maybe some high fiber cereal in the morning," Luke suggested.

"Listen, Grandpa, my soup's getting cold," Lorelai muttered as she pointed her spoon at the bowl.

"At least eat the carrots in the soup this time, not just the noodles," he implored.

"I promise," Lorelai said quickly. As soon as he walked away she held her bowl out to Rory and said, "Eat my carrots."

"He cares about you," Rory said, laying the guilt on thick.

Lorelai sighed as she set the bowl down again. "I know," she sighed.

"And you hated it when he hated you," Rory pointed out as she systematically demolished her pancakes.

"I did," Lorelai admitted as she resolutely carried a spoonful of soup, including a sliver of carrot, to her lips. She blew gently on the steaming broth and then popped it into her mouth, humming her approval as it slid soothingly down her throat. She set her spoon down and looked up at Rory as she said, "I have a kind of a weird confession to make."

"That's never good," Rory mumbled under her breath.

"Chalk it up to the TheraFlu," Lorelai instructed.

"Okay, go," Rory said with an encouraging nod.

"This summer, you know, with you gone and all the stuff with your dad," Lorelai began slowly. She glanced over her shoulder to be sure that no one was listening and then turned back, jerking her head in the direction of Luke moving around behind the counter. "That may have been the hardest part. Isn't that weird?"

Rory frowned as she chewed on a strip of bacon. "No, not so weird," she concluded.

"Really?"

"Well, you and I talked every day, and the thing with Dad, well, that was beyond everyone's control," Rory said slowly.

"Well, I hear that there are ways to control it now, but you know that I'm not one to cast the first stone there," Lorelai muttered as she spooned up another mouthful of soup.

Rory chuckled softly and said, "I mean that it was nothing that you did wrong. I thought about it a lot when I was in Washington," she admitted.

"Aw, hon," Lorelai said softly.

Rory shook her head and said, "I just, I wonder if that whole thing wasn't just a lot of years of wishful thinking all rolled up into one big thing. I mean, he wasn't there, and then he was there, and all of these promises and stuff. I think he did want it," she said as she poked at her egg with the tines of her fork. "I guess what I'm saying is that we were all pretty quick to jump. The timing wasn't great," she concluded.

"You can say that again," Lorelai grumbled as she dipped her fork into the mashed potatoes.

"No, aside from that. He shows up when we're all upset; you about the accident and the, uh, thinglet with Luke, me about the accident and telling Dean. Then there's a wedding and everyone's emotions are running on high. Jess was gone, and I know that you don't like him, but that upset me. And Luke. I think that's what Luke was the most upset about," Rory said with a slight nod.

"Yeah, and he took it out on me," Lorelai said with a sigh.

"Well, Mom, you were a big part of why he was gone," Rory said impatiently.

"I never told Luke to send Jess away," Lorelai hissed defensively.

"No, but that doesn't mean that you didn't want him to," Rory whispered back.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Lorelai said stubbornly.

Rory shrugged and said, "Fine. Doesn't matter anyway. You guys have made up, Jess is back, and well, everything else just is what it is." She watched as Lorelai drew patterns through her mashed potatoes with her fork. "Luke is a big part of your life, of our lives. Of course it was hard that things weren't right between you guys," Rory said gently.

"I hated it."

"I know you did."

Lorelai turned her head just enough that she could see Luke out of the corner of her eye. "It's still not quite…"

"You guys got pretty close last spring," Rory quietly observed.

"What?"

Rory lifted one shoulder and said, "You and Luke. With his uncle's funeral and Jess moving in and all that. You guys got pretty close. For a while there I thought maybe…"

"Maybe?" Lorelai prompted warily.

Rory hesitated for a moment and then said, "I just thought that you guys got a lot closer."

"Closer to what?" Lorelai asked, narrowing her eyes.

"To, uh, being better friends," Rory answered as she focused intently on the remainder of her pancakes. They both looked up when the bells heralded a new arrival and Rory cringed when she saw Jess' blonde girlfriend flounce up to the counter. They listened intently as Jess and Shane had a brief exchange of words, and then stared after them as they quickly left the diner.

Lorelai smirked and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, an entire conversation in ten words or less."

"A true meeting of the minds," Rory said in a snarky tone.

"Takes after his uncle," Lorelai observed as she turned her attention back to her soup and wrinkled her nose at the carrots that mocked her.

"Luke is better than that," Rory said in his defense.

The man himself appeared a moment later and placed a tall glass of orange juice at Lorelai's elbow. "Better than what?" he asked Rory.

Rory looked up, stunned. "Um, better than bribing people into eating their carrots."

Luke snorted and turned to Lorelai. "No refills until all those carrots are gone and you drink that whole glass," he said as he pointed to the juice and then turned on his heel.

"Despot," Lorelai muttered under her breath.

"He's taking care of you," Rory said with a grin.

"He's enjoying bossing me around," Lorelai countered as she took another spoonful of soup.

The bells chimed again and suddenly Dean appeared at their table. He looked down at them and said nervously, "Okay, so, uh, please don't hate me, but I already ate breakfast."

Rory smiled smugly and looked at her mother as she gestured to her boyfriend. "See? Nice full sentences."

"What?" Dean asked, befuddled.

"Don't ruin it," Lorelai advised as she reached for the glass of orange juice. She grimaced at the pulp floating in the obviously freshly squeezed glass of vitamin C and fought back the small smile that curved her lips as she took a long drink.

Dean sat with them until they finished their breakfast and then he and Rory left to go check out the Sunday sidewalk sale at Stars Hollow Books. Lorelai downed the remainder of her juice and then dragged her spoon through the remaining broth in her bowl, checking to see if she had indeed consumed the requisite amount of orange foods to score a cup of coffee to go. She sensed Luke approaching and looked up with a winning smile.

"Look, Dad, I did it," she told him proudly.

"Good girl. Feel better?"

"Completely cured. It's a miracle!" she cried in her best televangelist voice as she jumped up from her seat and threw her arms in the air. "We can get you a slot on public access television and you can save me over and over again. The donations will pour in," she said as she gathered her purse.

"I'm not sure that there is any saving you," Luke said as he handed over a large coffee in a to-go cup.

"You just did it again! You're amazing," Lorelai teased as she took the cup and flashed a grateful smile. "The soup was great, thanks. If you ever repeat this, I'll tell everyone you're having a flaming affair with Bootsy, but I think yours may even be better than Sookie's," she added in a low voice.

Luke smiled his pleasure at the compliment, but said simply, "Bootsy isn't my type," as he turned to take his usual position behind the cash register.

Lorelai chuckled as she approached the counter with a twenty dollar bill in hand. "Who is?" she asked flirtatiously.

Luke rolled his eyes as he snatched the bill from her hand and began making change. "Blueberries," he muttered,

"Blueberries? You got a thing for Violet Beauregarde?" Lorelai asked with a frown.

"Blueberries are full of antioxidants," Luke said as he handed her a wad of bills and some change that would have made their breakfast total just over four dollars for both of them. "Oatmeal, the real kind, and other whole grains are good too." He reached below the counter and pulled out a small bag. With a flick of his wrist he opened the bag and moved to the pastry stand where he removed a blueberry muffin and dropped it into the bag. Lorelai cocked her head and watched him carefully as he rolled the top of the bag closed and walked around the end of the counter to hand it to her. "Here, take this for a snack later," he said as he offered her the bag.

Lorelai smiled and ducked her head slightly as she took the bag from him. "Thanks, Doc," she said with a grin.

"You'll feel better soon," Luke assured her with a nod.

"Thanks, Luke," Lorelai said in a softer tone.

"Any time."

Lorelai frowned slightly and then asked, "How's your immune system? Healthy?"

"I never get sick," Luke said with a wave of his hand.

"Good." Lorelai stepped closer clutching her bag and cup tightly as she lifted her lips to kiss his scruffy cheek. Luke turned his head in surprise and she ended up softly kissing the corner of his mouth. Lorelai took a quick step back, clearly flustered at the sudden intimacy the impulsive act of friendship had taken on.

"Oh, um, sorry," he apologized quickly as he stepped back. "I didn't know, you, uh…"

"Oh, er, no problem. So, uh, thanks," she said quickly.

"Welcome," he said promptly, and then cringed visibly as he realized he wasn't exactly sure what she was thanking him for.

"Uh, see ya," she said with an awkward wave and then turned to hurry for the door.

Luke blinked in confusion as the door closed behind her and said, "Yeah, see ya," to no one at all.

****

By the time Lorelai walked into Luke's Tuesday afternoon, she was feeling much better about everything. Her cold was mostly gone, that awkward almost-on-the-lips kiss she had planted on Luke had not been mentioned or even alluded to in the past two days, and she thinks that maybe, just maybe, she may have come up with a way to let Kirk down gently.

The bells jingled as she closed the door behind her and scoped out the table situation. Luke approached with a coffee pot in hand and asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Ah, I came for the warmth."

"Well, you're just not usually here this time of day, that's all," he explained.

Lorelai smirked as she moved to the nearest open table and said, "Well, I'm meeting someone for lunch."

Luke's eyebrows shot up as he asked, "Oh, Kirk?"

"What?"

"You're meeting Kirk?"

"Why would you say that?" Lorelai asked, mortified.

"Well, I know he asked you out so I just assumed."

"How do you know he asked me out?" she demanded.

Luke shrugged. "He told me."

"He told you?" she cried.

"Yesterday," he confirmed with a nod.

"Oh my God," she moaned.

"Hey, relax, I think it's great," Luke said as he struggled to suppress his smile.

"Why, why would he tell you?" she demanded.

"Well, actually, he came to me for a little advice."

"About what?"

"About whether or not I thought he had a shot with you. After all, I know ya, I've been to your house, I know whether or not you have stain resistant rugs," he said, unable to contain the smirk any longer.

Lorelai dropped down into a chair and lowered her head to the formica table top. "I'm lying down now."

Luke's smile grew as he said, "When he found out you had wood floors, he seemed very pleased."

"Oh, Luke," she groaned.

"I told him you like movies and junk food, and of course, talking incessantly, but we both agreed that there's nothing like some good lovin' to shut a person up, if you know what I mean," he added in a low voice.

"I'm sorry, can you bring me a sharper fork? I'm not sure this one will go all the way through your hand," Lorelai said menacingly as she waved her fork in front of his face.

Luke leaned down, bracing his hand on the back of her chair as he spoke in a low voice, "Okay, now, I know it's new so you probably don't wanna jinx it, so I won't talk about it anymore. But I have to tell you, seeing that guy's face when he was talking about you… He almost had an expression," he chuckled.

Lorelai reached up, grabbed his neck and pulled him down, pressing her lips firmly to his. When she released him, she smirked at his stunned expression and said, "You're right, it does work."

Luke blinked and tried desperately to gather his wits again. "You're gonna make such a cute couple," he said gruffly as he turned away.

"That's right run away. Don't force me to use my womanly wiles on you again," she threatened.

Luke couldn't resist baiting her some more, and hoping maybe she would again. He smiled as he sang in a deep voice, "Love is in the air."

Lorelai grabbed a spoon and tossed it at his retreating back. "Ha!" she cried as the bells chimed and her mother walked into the diner.

"Why are you throwing cutlery in a public place?" Emily asked as she approached the table.

"Uh, 'cause I feel stupid doing it at home?" Lorelai asked, rolling her eyes at being caught in the act once again.

"Did you just kiss that man?" Emily demanded.

"What?"

"I saw you. You kissed that man. Luke," Emily told her.

"It was a joke, Mom," Lorelai said impatiently. "Are you gonna sit?"

Emily glanced around nervously and then said, "Oh, yes, of course." She pulled out the chair and scowled at the vinyl cushion. She pulled a handkerchief from her purse and quickly wiped the seat before sitting down. "There we go," she murmured to herself. "How is kissing someone a joke?" she asked in a low voice.

"He was giving me a hard time, I shut him up," Lorelai said as she closed her eyes and shook her head.

"By kissing him?" Emily hissed.

"Well, I've heard there was nothing like some good lovin' to shut a person up," Lorelai said defensively.

"Honestly, Lorelai, you are shameless," Emily admonished.

"And a hussy," Lorelai said as she made a show of opening her menu.

Emily followed suit, eying the few patrons left in the diner as she distractedly perused the selection. "It's almost cruel," she murmured.

"What?"

"Toying with him that way," Emily said impatiently.

"With who?"

"Luke! That is Luke, isn't it?" Emily said in a hushed voice.

"Yes, that is Luke, and no, I was not toying with him," Lorelai said with an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, so you enjoy kissing him," Emily said victoriously.

"Mother, it was a joke," Lorelai said through gritted teeth.

"Perhaps to you it was," Emily said primly. "Did you ever stop to think it may not be a joke to Luke?"

"He made the joke!"

"He has feelings for you," Emily insisted.

"He does not!"

"Lorelai, for goodness sake! It's as plain as the nose on his face!"

Luke approached the table with his order pad in hand, eying Mrs. Gilmore warily. "You two ready to order?" he asked.

Emily sat up a little straighter and asked, "Yes. How is your Caesar salad dressing prepared?"

"I'll have to call Paul Newman and ask him," Luke replied gruffly.

Emily sighed as she closed the menu and said, "A Cobb salad and an iced tea."

Lorelai raised her head and shot Luke a pleading look. "Cheeseburger, fries, onion rings and a cherry coke."

"Any pie today?" he asked automatically.

Lorelai gave it a moment of thought and then shook her head. "Hmm, no thanks."

Luke nodded as he looked up from his pad and said, "Cutting back a little, huh? Trying to look good for the big day. Smart, very smart," he added with a smirk as he walked away.

"Make sure you check that frying oil with your face," she called after him.

"What was that all about?" Emily demanded.

"Ah, nothing, just a little small town charm. Now, please, Mom, tell me, why did you ask me to lunch?" Lorelai asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Is something going one between you two? Are you dating now?" Emily demanded.

"No!"

"Well, you kissed him," Emily said defensively.

"That was a joke," she said flatly.

"What is he talking about, 'the big day'?" Emily prodded.

"Lunch? You, me, why?" Lorelai asked again, desperate to deflect attention from her train wreck of a love life.

"You shouldn't flirt with him like that, Lorelai. It isn't appropriate, and it will give the poor man false hope," Emily persisted.

"I was not flirting with Luke!"

"Not that you care, you seem to like to stir them up and leave them in your wake," Emily muttered under her breath.

"Are you going to tell me why you wanted to have lunch?" Lorelai demanded, losing her cool.

"Because I wanted to spend some time alone with my daughter," Emily replied coolly.

"Mom," Lorelai said in a warning tone.

Emily widened her eyes innocently as she said, "Well, Rory drops by after school every now and then, so we see her alone."

"Mom," Lorelai prompted.

"But we never see you alone unless Rory leaves the room for a second, and even then you try to go with her. If I had a nickel for every time you've used the 'Girls always go to the bathroom together, Mom' line, I'd be a very rich woman," Emily said as she rolled her eyes.

"You are a very rich woman," Lorelai pointed out. "Mom, please, is this really a 'me and you' lunch? No hidden agenda?"

"Of course not," Emily replied, offended.

Lorelai took a deep breath and then said, "Okay, fine."

"I talked to Christopher" Emily blurted.

"What?"

"I called him last week, we talked for a very long time, and I have to tell you, he is not in love with that woman."

"Oh my God," Lorelai breathed, incredulous.

"He never came out and said it, but I could tell from his voice. He would much rather be with you and Rory."

"Are you out of your mind?" Lorelai demanded.

"I think you need to talk to him."

"And that would be a 'Yes'."

"All he needs is to hear that you want this, too," Emily insisted.

"Mom, what the hell are you doing calling Christopher?"

"Well, somebody had to."

"No, somebody didn't have to!"

"Oh, I certainly wasn't going to just sit by and watch this situation explode. You two belong together. It took you years to figure that out, and now that you finally have it, you can't let it go away just because of a little complication," Emily said stubbornly.

Lorelai clenched her teeth and said, "Mom, his girlfriend is pregnant. That is more than a little complication."

"Women have gotten pregnant since the beginning of time, Lorelai," Emily said, dismissing her argument with a wave of her hand.

"And before I result to the totally called for duh, please tell me what your point is," Lorelai said angrily.

"This woman is trying to trap him. Don't you see that? You can't let that happen."

"Mom, this is none of your business."

"Yes, it is! It affects Rory, it affects you, both of whom are my business," Emily said adamantly.

"Do not get involved in this, I mean it. Butt out! Don't call Christopher and talk about me or us, just stay out of it!" Lorelai said, fighting back tears of anger and humiliation as she stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to get back to the inn."

"Do not walk out on me," Emily warned.

"Mom, I am not gonna discuss this with you now or ever. I would love for you to respect that but I know you, so give Christopher my love," Lorelai said sarcastically as she reached for the door.

"A family life doesn't just happen, Lorelai. You have to work for it. You have to fight for it," Emily insisted. "Lorelai, come back here!" she called as Lorelai hurried through the door.

Luke stepped out of the kitchen in time to see Lorelai walking quickly down the sidewalk with her head down. He carried a glass of iced tea over to Emily and asked, "She okay?"

Emily's head jerked up and she eyed Luke carefully. "She's fine."

"She left without eating," Luke said pointedly. "Lorelai doesn't leave without eating when she's fine."

Emily cocked her head and said, "She'll be fine. She just needs to see reason."

"Reason?" Luke asked, blinking in surprise.

Emily nodded as she reached for her handbag. "I'm afraid we'll need to cancel our order. I'm happy to pay you for the food."

"Don't worry about it," Luke said with a wave of his hand.

"That isn't a very prudent way to run a business," Emily said archly.

"Lorelai is my best customer, I think I know when I can cut her some slack," Luke retorted.

"I suppose you do," Emily said primly as she stood up. "I suppose that you also know that Lorelai doesn't always see things clearly. My daughter has more than her fair share of pride, and I dare say that it clouds her judgment," Emily said as she lifted her chin. "I'm hoping to make her see clearly enough to do what's right, for both of their sakes."

"Lorelai always does what's right for Rory," Luke said, instantly defensive.

"Perhaps, but she seldom does what's right for herself," Emily said as she walked to the door.

Luke crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Maybe that's a matter of opinion."

Emily paused with her hand on the door handle. She looked at Luke and said stiffly, "I'm sure that you're a very nice man, I know that Lorelai and Rory think very highly of you. I hope, for your sake, that you don't have any expectations of more than that, though. My daughter is very flighty," Emily said, pursing her lips in disdain as she walked out of the diner.

Luke watched as Emily Gilmore pressed the button to unlock the Mercedes sedan parked at the curb and then climbed into the driver's seat. "You'd like to think so," he said under his breath as he turned back to the kitchen.

********

Lorelai and Rory walked tiredly toward the town square. "Well, now, that was a fun night," Lorelai muttered.

"Yep," Rory agreed, hugging herself tightly.

"I haven't had that much fun since labor."

"Ba-dum-bum," Rory said with a wry smile.

"But seriously, ladies and gentlemen, is this on?"

"I can't believe he just came over," Rory said quietly, breeching the cone of silence that had enveloped them all the way back from Hartford.

"He misses you," Lorelai said with a sad smile.

"He misses you."

"We're very missable," Lorelai said with a heavy sigh. "Honey, he loves you so much, he didn't mean to mess…"

Rory shook her head adamantly. "No, he never means to, but he does. And I don't care what he says or does, I'm not going to this wedding."

"You don't have to," Lorelai assured her.

"Good."

"But you might, at a later point in your life, when you're not so angry and you make up with your dad, as we both know you will, you might be sorry you missed it," Lorelai pointed out.

"It's the wrong wedding," Rory said petulantly.

"Ah, things happen for a reason," Lorelai said as she wrapped her arm around her daughter.

"Since when is that your philosophy?"

"Since now," Lorelai said as she blew out a tired breath. "By the way, I'm also a communist."

"Really?"

"Yes, 'cause I look damn good in red." Lorelai stopped and turned to look at Rory. "And, maybe it's not the wrong wedding. Maybe this was never meant to be. Maybe you were right, maybe we did all have it all so built up in out heads that we just, you know, tried to grab it and hang on to it."

"You think?"

"I can't help but think that," Lorelai said with a shrug. "I mean, yes it hurts, but I can't help but wonder if maybe that's just my ego talking. Seriously, who wouldn't want to spend their whole life with us?" she demanded.

"Everyone I know wants to," Rory agreed.

"And, Hon, it doesn't mean I don't love your dad. I mean, he gave me you, and that's the best thing in the world," Lorelai said sincerely. "But maybe it's not that kind of love. Maybe I was just buying into the whole idea of it, you know?"

"Maybe," Rory said slowly. "I mean, he has asked before and you always said no."

"Right! Maybe deep down, I always knew that was the right answer, but this time, I don't know…"

"Things were all screwy and weird," Rory concluded.

Lorelai stared down at her shoes and then raised her eyes to Rory's slowly. "Shouldn't I have missed him more than I missed Luke?"

"Maybe. Yeah, I think so," Rory concluded.

"I wanted it, though," Lorelai admitted softly.

"I know you did."

"I wanted it for both of us."

"I want it to be right. For both of us," Rory said firmly.

"Maybe Kirk could be the one," Lorelai speculated as she hooked her arm through Rory's.

"Maybe," Rory said with a sage nod. "I'm starving."

"Really? Could it be 'cause dinner sucked?"

"Could be."

"Let's do mac 'n cheese," Lorelai suggested.

"And tater tot," Rory chimed in.

"And those little pizza rolls."

"Oh, and chili beef soup."

Lorelai nodded emphatically and said, "After which we will install our own vomitorium."

"Okay, nix the soup," Rory conceded.

"And add some cake," Lorelai agreed. "Okay, let's be organized. Make it fast, make it snappy, and if there's any impulse buying, make it chocolate!" she ordered.

"Aye aye, captain," Rory replied pertly.

Lorelai stiffened visibly as she heard Kirk call out, "Lorelai!"

"Oh no," she groaned. When Rory shot her a sympathetic look she sighed and gestured to Doose's. "Go on in."

"Are you sure?"

Lorelai nodded and pressed her lips together resolutely. "I have to take care of this."

"Good luck," Rory whispered as Kirk approached, and then fled into the market.

Lorelai took a deep breath as she turned around, called, "Hey, Kirk," and proceeded to let him down as gently as possible. Lorelai stared after him as he walked away, hating the defeated slump of his shoulders and hearing his 'At least I asked' echoing over and over again in her head. _He had asked. Christopher had asked. Repeatedly,_ she thought as she slumped against the window of Doose's Market. _He'd asked and I said no. Repeatedly. Why did I say yes this time?_ she wondered as she looked up, staring into the square as if the answer was hidden there. Almost of their own volition, Lorelai's eyes were drawn to the diner, and as she watched the coffee cup sign swing back and forth in the breeze she had her answer.

The sound of Rory's heels on the sidewalk jolted her from her thoughts. She straightened up and smiled wanly as she said, "Hey, I was just gonna come in after you. You all done?"

"Oh yeah, I'm done," Rory mumbled as she cast a glance back at the market. "I'm not so hungry anymore, though."

"Aw, Hon, was Taylor squeezing the produce and making inappropriate noises again?" she asked teasingly.

"Just a long night," Rory sighed, clutching the grocery bag a little tighter.

"Coffee?" Lorelai asked as she gestured to the diner.

Rory shook her head and said, "You go ahead, I think I'll go on home."

Lorelai nodded and said, "Maybe a bubble bath will make you feel better."

"I think I'm just going to read for a little while and then go to bed."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, and give that hunky boyfriend of yours a call. That'll make you feel better."

Rory managed a weak smile which immediately faded when they saw Jess leave the market and head in the opposite direction. "Yeah, I'll call Dean," she said with a slow nod. "See you at home."

"Be there soon," Lorelai assured her.

She stood on the sidewalk and watched as Rory trudged tiredly in the direction of their house, and then turned to look at the swaying sign once more. Lorelai cocked her head curiously as she began to walk toward the diner. When she reached the steps, she saw that the dining room was deserted, but the coffee pot still sat half full on the burner. She tried the door and it opened easily. "Hello?" Lorelai called out as she closed the door behind her.

"Oh, hey," Luke said as he stepped out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. "I was just about to dump it," he said as he nodded to the pot and pulled out a mug.

"Thank God I made it here in time to save you," Lorelai said dramatically as she dropped down onto a stool. She reached greedily for the mug. "I'm the only one that truly loves you," she murmured to her coffee before taking a sip.

"It was feeling abandoned. You haven't been around much the last few days," Luke said, trying to keep his tone casual as he wiped down the spotless counter.

"Yeah, well… Sorry about lunch the other day. I hope you made my mother pay for it," she said with a chuckle.

"It was no problem."

"She made me mad."

"I figured."

"But tonight…" Lorelai started with a sigh and then stopped.

"Tonight?" Luke prompted.

Lorelai smiled shyly and said, "Tonight, she came through for me."

"Oh?"

Lorelai nodded, wrinkling her nose as she said, "Christopher showed up, made a scene, you know, the usual Friday night dinner theater."

"Made a scene?" Luke asked worriedly.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "It was stupid. It was all so stupid. I feel stupid." She sighed and said, "The only good thing was that my mother actually took my side for once. Even if she thought I was being stupid too."

"You're not stupid," Luke said firmly.

"I was. I'm not now," Lorelai told him.

"You've never been stupid. Just like you've never really been flighty."

"Flighty?"

"I think that was the word she used?"

"Who used?"

"Your mother."

"She said I was flighty?"

"But you're not," Luke said confidently.

"I'm not?"

"No."

"Okay," Lorelai said with a puzzled frown.

Luke sighed and tried to work himself up to putting a full sentence together. "You always have a reason for doing what you do. It might not be obvious to some of us, but it always works out for you," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai stared into her coffee mug and swallowed hard. "I went to Christopher because of you," she said quietly.

"Me?" he asked, stunned.

"Well, not that it was your fault. We had that fight. God, that stupid fight," she groaned. "And I was upset, and worried and hysterical. And you, well, I took it out on you," she said quietly. "And I know, Luke. I know that you care so much about Rory, and I'm so, so sorry that I even made you think that I would question that."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not," she insisted, unwilling to be let off of the hook so easily. "You have always been there for her. Always. From the moment we met you, and I appreciate that. You've never missed a birthday or any kind of event in her life. Her own father can't say that," she said with a sad shake of her head.

"Well, I was here," Luke said gruffly.

"Yes. Yes, that's it exactly. You were here. You've always been here. For me, for her, always. I want you to know that I was crazy. I was out of my mind to ever doubt you," she said urgently.

Luke blushed as he ducked his head and said, "I got the notes, remember?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure that you really get it."

"Get what?" he asked as he wrapped the towel around his hand, binding it tightly.

"How much you mean to us. To me," Lorelai said plainly.

Luke looked up, the towel unraveling as he let go of the end. "Thanks," he managed in voice that sounded like gravel. He cleared his throat and looked away briefly before he turned back to her and said, "You both mean a lot to me too."

"I hated that we weren't talking. I hated that you hated me," she said passionately as she clenched her fist.

"I never hated you."

"It felt like it," Lorelai said, a sudden rush of tears clogging her throat. She blinked rapidly and turned to look out at the square. "I wanted to hurt you, and I did because Rory was hurt, and that hurt me. I think I had this, this completely irrational expectation that you should have been able to do something to fix it, to stop it, to keep that from ever happening," she confessed.

"I would have if I could."

"I know. I know that," she said as she turned back to him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "But when you couldn't I wanted to hurt you more," she whispered.

"Lorelai…"

"I called him. I could justify it by the whole, 'He's Rory's father, he has a right to know' thing," she said bluntly. She watched the muscle in Luke's jaw tighten as he closed his mouth, pressing his lips into a firm line. "And then, he was here when you weren't. You just left. Rory was broken and you went fishing," she said bitterly.

"I couldn't stay here," he said hoarsely.

"I told myself that you just didn't care. You didn't care that Rory was hurt, you didn't care that we would never speak again, you'd be happy to have sent Jess back so that you could resume your normal Unabomber activities," she said quietly. "I told myself that because I was mad and hurt and stupid. I was so, so stupid," she whispered. "But I missed you. Even when I was with Chris, I missed you. I needed you, and that made me mad because I don't need anyone but Rory," she said as she swiped at a tear that dared to escape. "And I was mad that I was wrong and I knew that I was wrong. I needed to fix it, but I didn't know how. You would hardly even look at me, much less speak to me."

"I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me," he said in a low soft voice. "I wanted to punish you."

"It worked," she said with a choked laugh.

"For both of us," Luke admitted with a rueful little smile. He looked down at the towel dangling limply from his hand and took a deep breath. "I don't have many friends," he began slowly. "I mean, real friends. People that I talk to about stuff. Really, you're about it," he said with a nervous chuckle. When Lorelai met his gaze, Luke shrugged and said, "I want that. I mean, I need it. You. To be my friend."

Lorelai's eyes fell to the counter top as she swallowed hard. "I think I need us to be more than that," she said in the barest whisper.

"What?" Luke asked as his heart screeched to a halt in his chest.

"You and me. I think I want to be more than friends," Lorelai said a little louder as she finally dared to look up. When she saw his shocked expression, her stomach dropped. "But that's okay, I mean, I understand if you don't feel that way too. I'm a mess, I'm not sure I'd want to know me at all," she tried to joke. "At least I asked, right?" she murmured, mentally cursing Rory, Sookie and even her mother for planting the seed in her head. As Luke stared at her, dumbfounded, it occurred to her that it was entirely possible that what they had all been saying all along simply wasn't true. She pushed herself up from the stool, anxious to make a quick escape after this latest humiliation in a long line of humiliations.

Lorelai pulled a dollar bill out of her purse and tossed it onto the counter. "Uh, thanks for the coffee. I should get home, Rory said something about tater tots," she said as she snagged the handle of her bag and hurried toward the door.

The sight of her retreating back snapped Luke from his trance. "Lorelai, wait!" he called as he skirted the end of the counter and rushed after her. He reached the door as she opened it, and gently pushed it closed again with a firm click.

"Luke, please," she whispered, unable to look at him.

"You've thought about this," he said.

Lorelai could tell by the hoarse rasp of his voice that it wasn't a question, but merely a statement of fact. "A little," she admitted. When he made no response, but slowly lowered his hand from the door to her arm, she finally looked up. "A lot. I dreamed about it," she confessed.

"Dreamed?"

"Not, like, dirty dreams. Normal dreams," she said hastily.

"About you and me?"

Lorelai glanced away as the image of Luke bending down and pressing his lips to her stomach through that adorable pink nightgown flashed through her head. "Yeah."

"You've dreamed about us," he repeated, trying to will his brain to catch up. "You want there to be an us."

"Luke, it's okay," she said tiredly.

"I want there to be an us," he said quickly.

"You do?"

"Yeah," he said as he nodded enthusiastically. "But only if you're sure. Only if you're ready," he added quickly.

"Ready?"

Luke nodded and said, "Yeah. I really want there to be an us, us. I mean, together, not just, you know, dating or whatever."

"Hooking up," Lorelai murmured.

"What?"

"I think that's what they call it now. Hooking up. Casual. You know, no strings attached," Lorelai rambled.

"I don't want that, I want an us," Luke said firmly. "So, you have to be sure, you have to be ready," he trailed off lamely as he watched for her reaction.

"Okay."

"Okay, what?" he asked cautiously.

"Okay, I'm ready," she murmured, nodding slowly as her mind reeled.

Luke squinted as he peered at her intently. "I need you to be really ready, Lorelai," he said softly.

Lorelai looked up at him quizzically and saw it all there, etched into his face. The lines around his eyes were worry. Worry about what he wanted, and what he thought he could have. The deep furrows in his forehead were concern. Concern that she wasn't truly ready and that she would end up breaking his heart. The carved lines bracketing his mouth were resolve. He was preparing himself for the worst, fully expecting her to change her mind, to take it all back, to dash out of that door and never come back again. But there, in those deep, dark blue eyes she saw warmth. She watched as he blinked, the long dark fringe of his lashes hiding and unveiling a gaze so warm and hopeful that she wanted to dive right into them.

"I'm ready," she said quietly, holding his gaze.

"I'm immune to everything but you," Luke confessed and then kissed her softly, his lips lingering against hers.

When he pulled away a slow smile lit her face. "You need more junk in your diet."

"Maybe," he agreed, returning her smile. As she continued to stare at him, he shifted slightly and asked, "You okay?"

"I'm not feeling so good, I think my lips are haunted," she murmured as she touched her fingertips to them to stop the spooky tingling sensation his kiss had left behind.

"What?"

"Kiss me again," Lorelai whispered as she touched those same fingertips to his lips.

Luke wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close to him as her hand fluttered to his chest. He buried the other hand in the thick mass of curls at the nape of her neck and cradled her head as he lowered his lips to hers again and kissed her passionately. Lorelai gasped softly and then melted into him as his tongue teased her lips, begging for an invitation to deepen the kiss. Lorelai parted her lips and took him in, meeting his questing tongue and moaning softly as she massaged it with hers. Luke's fingers pressed into her scalp, massaging her gently as he angled his head, taking the kiss deeper still, knowing his thirst for her would never be satisfied.

They were interrupted by an urgent knock on the glass door. They jumped apart to find Jess glaring through the glass meaningfully as he jerked a thumb at East Side Tillie standing on the sidewalk with her mouth agape and her twin Shih Tzus wrapping their leashes around her legs.

"Oh!" Lorelai gasped, her eyes widening.

Luke closed his eyes in mortification, and then opened them to see Jess gesturing to his watch and then pointing to the second floor. He held up one finger and then turned to walk back down the steps.

"What did that mean?" Lorelai asked Luke with a puzzled frown.

Luke squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as he said, "He just gave us an hour."

"An hour?"

"An hour, an hour," Luke said impatiently, his cheeks flushing from pink to deep crimson as his eyes flashed up to the ceiling.

"Oh! An hour!" Lorelai said, belatedly pressing her hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh.

Luke turned and watched as Tillie scurried down the sidewalk, tugging the little dust-mop dogs behind her in her haste. "Well, it's definitely something now," he said with a sigh.

"Wasn't it before?" Lorelai asked, her laughter fading.

"I just meant that in about ten minutes half the town will know," Luke said quickly.

"Does that bother you?"

"Doesn't bother me. Does it bother you?" he asked anxiously.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "No, I'm not bothered."

Luke smirked and asked, "You aren't?"

Lorelai grinned as she bit down on her tongue lightly. "I might be a little, but not by that."

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "A little?" he asked.

"Well, it was, you know, a nice kiss," Lorelai said with a nervous giggle, stepping back as he stepped closer to her.

"Why are you running away?"

"I'm not," Lorelai insisted as she forced her feet to stay planted on the tile floor.

Luke pulled her to him again and hugged her tightly. "You want me to walk you home or do you want to call Rory?" he asked as he rubbed his cheek against her soft hair.

"Call Rory?"

"Head off the phone tree, let her know you'll be a little while," he said with a shrug as he loosened his hold on her.

"About an hour?" she teased.

"If you want."

"I should call her," Lorelai said with a nod.

Luke smiled his approval and slid his hands down her arms, capturing one of her hands as he reached back to lock the door with the other. Without another word, he led her through the dining room to the curtain, and held it to one side as he let her pass. They walked up the stairs without a word to punctuate the shy glances they cast in each other's direction. Once they stepped into the apartment, Luke gestured to the desk and said, "Phone's over there."

Lorelai smiled as she said, "Yeah, I've been up here before."

"Sorry," Luke said sheepishly as he rubbed his palms together and wrung his fingers nervously. He watched her dial and smiled as she absently twirled a lock of hair around her index finger. She made a face as the answering machine kicked on, and then she said, "Hey Sweets. Um, just wanted to let you know that I'm at Luke's and I, uh, I think I'm going to hang out here for a while more. I should, I'll be home in about an hour," she said as she turned to look at Luke and smiled. "If you're already in bed, I'll just talk to you in the morning. Uh, okay, bye," she added quickly and then hung up. She looked up to see Luke smiling at her, clearly amused. "What?" she demanded.

"Hanging out? Is that what the kids call it these days?"

"Yes," she said unequivocally.

"Will she be okay with this, you think?" he asked, suddenly worried again.

"Yeah, I think she will be," Lorelai assured him. Luke nodded, his mouth firmly set as she could see the wheels turning in his head. "What's the matter?"

"I should walk you home now, but I don't want to," he admitted gruffly.

"I don't want you to," she answered, holding his gaze.

In three steps, Luke covered the distance between them. Lorelai met him after taking one step of her own, and immediately wound her arms around his neck. His lips found hers again, this time fueled with the certain knowledge of what they had been missing all along. His fingers wound their way into her curls as her tongue circled his, she trailed one fingernail down the side of his neck as she pressed into him, moaning as she pressed into his hard body. Her hand slipped to the collar of his shirt and pulled it aside as she managed to wrest her mouth from his. She pressed her lips to the soft skin of his neck, her fingers knocking his cap to the floor as she began to kiss her way upward, humming her approval as his stubble rasped against her lips and tongue.

Luke's hand slid down her back and under the hem of her blouse. He growled soft and deep in his throat as his fingers found the warm, soft skin of her back. Lorelai scrapped her teeth along his stubbly jaw, and he whispered, "Sorry, I haven't shaved."

"I like it," she whispered and then pressed her lips to his again. She kissed him hungrily; tugging lightly on his shoulders to signal him to move as she began to back up in what she hoped was the general direction of his bed. She squeezed on hand between them and fumbled with the top button on his shirt.

"Doing?" he asked breathlessly.

"Bed," she mumbled against his lips.

"Here," he said as he steered her in the right direction.

Lorelai felt the back of her knees hit the edge of the mattress and grabbed two fistfuls of flannel as she dropped down onto the bed. She looked up at him; her eyes bright and her lips red and swollen. Luke swallowed hard as he tried to rein in the urge to leap on her. Lorelai smiled slyly and she pulled hard on the tail of his shirt as she stretched out on his bed. Luke lost the battle, and while he didn't exactly leap, neither did he hesitate. He pressed one knee into the mattress and braced his hands on either side of her head as he lowered himself, partially covering her, but resting his weight on his side as he kissed her again, for once relishing the taste of coffee.

With him beside her, Lorelai found that her fingers grew nimble once more. She quickly pushed button after button through their holes, and smiled victoriously as she peeled the brushed cotton back from his shoulders. Luke chuckled as he kissed his way down her throat. He pushed up and quickly shed the flannel, letting it fall to the floor beside the bed. "Better?" he asked as he stretched out again.

"Almost," she answered as she pulled on the back of his worn navy blue t-shirt.

Luke smiled as he pressed a wet kiss to the hollow of her throat and then blew gently over her damp skin. "Lorelai."

"If you let me have yours, I'll let you have mine," she said breathlessly.

Luke pulled back and looked down at her in surprise. When he started to say something, Lorelai simply shook her head and pulled him back down to kiss him again. Luke pressed against her insistently, his fingers trailing from her cheek to her neck before skimming the neckline of her blouse. Lorelai gave him an encouraging little moan and arched into the kiss, sliding her tongue over his in a sensual dance he couldn't begin to resist.

One by one, he opened the buttons on her blouse, his lips never straying from hers as his hand slipped under the silky material to find skin that felt like velvet. He groaned as his fingertips grazed the lace of her bra and he felt her nipple harden in response. His lips found the tender skin of her neck and he opened his mouth, drawing it in ravenously as he opened the front clasp of her bra. Lorelai sucked in a breath as he brushed the lace aside and covered her with his warm palm.

"Luke," she whispered as she pressed up into him. He immediately raised his head, looking down at her with a worried frown. Lorelai smiled reassuringly and murmured, "We have less than an hour."

"He won't come back 'til later," Luke said in a husky voice. His eyes dropped to his hand and his lips parted with lust as he gently massaged the soft swell of her breast. "I'll kill him," he murmured as he lowered his lips to the rosy pink tip.

Lorelai's chuckle turned to a soft mew of pleasure as he drew her nipple into his mouth, laving it with his tongue before sucking deeply. His hand slid down over her hip to her thigh to the hem of her skirt, urging the material higher in his need to feel her skin against his. He sighed softly against her breast as he stroked her silken thigh. Luke's fingers kneaded her thigh, working steadily higher as Lorelai clawed at his t-shirt, yanking it up over the hard muscles of his back.

With a reluctant grunt, he raised his head and slid his hand out from under her skirt. He quickly stripped of the t-shirt and then helped Lorelai out of her blouse and bra, discarding each garment in a careless pile on the floor before he reached for the zipper on her hip. Luke paused and looked up at her. When she nodded her drew the zipper down and slid off of the edge of the bed.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Right here," he said as he removed each of her shoes and let them drop to the floor with a thud.

"Hurry back," Lorelai whispered.

Luke knelt at the foot of the bed and reached for the waistband of her skirt. He looked her straight in the eye and quietly asked, "Okay?"

"You're pretty," Lorelai answered with a cheeky grin.

"Is that a yes?" he asked with a playful scowl.

"That's a 'Yes, please'," she clarified.

When she raised her hips, Luke began to slide her skirt down. "Bed's small," he said apologetically.

"Bed's perfect."

"You're perfect," he growled in appreciation as he dropped her skirt to the floor. He ran his hands over her smooth calves and up over her thighs, spreading his fingers over her creamy skin, trying to touch as much of her as he possibly could.

"Far from it," she replied softly.

"I think you are. Even your flaws are perfect," he said as his fingertips skimmed the lacy edge of her black panties.

Lorelai laughed softly. "That makes no sense."

"It makes perfect sense," he insisted as he climbed back over her.

Lorelai pressed one hand to his chest to hold him at bay. "You're still dressed," she whispered.

"I did my part."

Lorelai glanced down at her nearly bare body and said, "Well, you didn't quite finish yet."

"Pacing myself."

She sat up, pushing him back onto his heels as her eyes raked over his muscular chest and arms. "You wear too many clothes," she complained.

"I'll go nudist tomorrow," he promised, kissing her lightly.

Lorelai ran her fingers over his cheek and said, "I'm glad you didn't check the oil with your face. I like your face."

Luke smiled as the tips of his ears turned pink. "My face likes you too. Your face. I like your face too," he stammered. "I suck at this."

Lorelai tipped her head back and laughed as she reached for the button on his jeans. "You're fun," she said in a surprised tone.

"You're shocked," he chuckled.

"I'm happy."

"I'm glad."

"I'm almost naked," she said pointedly.

"I'm aware of that," Luke answered with a sage nod.

"Oh, you noticed?"

"It may have caught my attention."

Lorelai trailed her fingers teasingly along the hard ridge in his jeans and then reached for his zipper. "I might have noticed some things too."

"Yeah?" he asked as he sucked in a sharp breath.

"Yeah. Your boots are still on," she pointed out.

"Crap," Luke muttered as he turned and sat on the edge of the bed. Lorelai grinned and took the opportunity to run her hands over his smooth back as he bent down to unlace them.

"You have a tattoo," she observed.

"Yep."

Lorelai slid one hand into the gaping waistband of his jeans, bypassed the elastic of his boxer briefs and gently stroked the rounded curve of his ass. "You have a great butt. I noticed that a loooong time ago."

Luke toed off his boots and quickly removed his socks before sitting up once more. "Gee, thanks," he said dryly.

"It's a compliment!"

"Nice to know I've been ogled," he said ominously.

Lorelai snorted and said, "Oh, please! There have been odes written to this ass, sonnets!"

"Cut it out."

"I'm serious. My favorite one is in the second stall in the ladies room at Al's," she told him. Lorelai pecked a kiss to his lips and winked broadly as she whispered, "Author unknown."

"Nuh uh," he grunted.

Lorelai smiled and preened a bit as she said, "It's been there for a while. Before I got to know you as a person," she added solemnly.

"Ah, the Duke days," Luke said darkly.

"Duke had a nice butt too," she teased.

"Glad I could brighten your day," he grumbled, shooting her a sidelong glance.

Lorelai nipped at his earlobe and whispered. "It did. Lose the jeans."

Luke turned his head and captured her lips with his, pushing up off of the bed and bending down to keep kissing her as he stood. Lorelai heard the rustle of fabric and their lips parted briefly as he pushed his jeans and briefs down over his hips. Lorelai reached out, stroking his thigh lazily as he pulled back to finish removing his clothes.

Lorelai blinked and smiled appreciatively as she said, "Wow, the sunny side doesn't disappoint either."

Luke rolled his eyes as he stepped out of his pants and said, "Nice, thanks."

"Please, like you don't check me out. I've caught you," she said accusingly.

"Have not!"

"Black skirt? Not this one, the flippy one?" she said pointedly.

Luke couldn't repress his smile as he said, "Oh, that one."

"Yeah, that one."

"Your legs look great in that skirt," he said with a playful leer. He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties and yanked. Lorelai giggled as he stripped them down her legs, but the laughter faded as his hot eyes roamed their way lazily back up her bare body.

Lorelai smirked slightly as she moved to the edge of the bed. "You wanna talk clothes?" Lorelai asked in a sultry voice as she slowly wrapped her fingers around his erection and looked up through her lashes.

"No," he managed to choke out.

She stroked him gently as she asked, "Wanna watch TV?"

"No."

"What do you want to do?" she asked innocently as she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the very tip of him.

"Don't. Please," he rasped.

"Don't?"

"Too much."

"Oh," she said softly as she trailed her fingers along the length of him and reluctantly withdrew her hand.

Luke caught her hand and brought it to his lips as he knelt on the bed once more and began to push her back down to the pillow. "Been a while," he admitted gruffly.

"Yeah," she answered as she closed her eyes, suddenly wishing she could say the same. "We should, I'm on the pill, but do you have…"

"Yeah," Luke answered succinctly.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, a rush of fresh tears filling her eyes.

"For what?" Luke asked with a perplexed frown.

"For being so stupid," she said softly.

"Stop that," he growled. Luke kissed her hard and then drew back, staring down at her intently. "We're here, right? This is good."

Lorelai's eyes stayed locked on his as she ran her hands over the hard muscles of his back and down his arms, squeezing his biceps as if gathering strength from him. "This is good," she agreed. "We're gonna be good."

"So good," he murmured as he captured her lips once again and lowered himself down onto her.

Lorelai hummed appreciatively as she held him tightly, his thick arousal pulsing against her nipples rasped against the hair on his chest. Luke once again began to kiss his way down her body, but as he pulled back, Lorelai held fast, wrapping her legs around him for added resistance. "I want to…" he murmured against her throat.

"I want you," she countered, shifting a little until she felt him pressing against her sex.

"I need to…"

"I need you," Lorelai whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Luke sucked in a breath and then raised his hips. Lorelai reached between them and wrapped her fingers around him once more, stroking him lightly as she guided him to her entrance. "Condom?" she whispered as she brushed the tip of him against her damp folds.

"Don't care," he said in a ragged voice.

"But, you should, I've been," she said breathlessly. She squeezed her eyes shut as she undulated against him, circling her hips against the heat of him pressing to her. "I was safe. I promise. I've always been safe."

Luke nodded and pushed forward, parting her as the tip of him sank into the tight wet heat of her. "Oh God," he groaned.

Lorelai moaned as he pressed into her. "Nothing safe about you," she whispered into his ear. "Everything and nothing."

Luke stilled, buried deep inside of her and framed her face with is arms. He pushed her hair away from her face and waited until she opened her eyes to look at him. "You know I care more about you than anything, right?"

Lorelai's lips parted at his admission, but there in his eyes, she saw all she needed to know. "I know."

Luke kissed her sweetly, drawing her lips against his as he began to move, focusing all of his attention on her lips, knowing that if he gave a moment's thought to what was happening, it would all be over. He caught her short puffs of breath and tried not to think about how perfectly they fit together. "Beautiful," he murmured against her lips.

"You feel so good," she whispered. "Perfect. We fit."

"Oh no," he groaned as he felt his control slipping.

Luke stilled, but Lorelai continued to move beneath him. "Don't stop, don't stop," she said desperately.

"I'm not, guh," he grunted as she grabbed his ass and urged him on. "Lorelai," he gasped.

"I'm so close," she whispered as she closed her eyes, giving herself over to him.

Luke's breath rushed from his lungs as he felt himself snap. He drove into her, burying himself in her heat and thrusting blindly as he panted, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Oh Luke!" she cried as wave after wave of pleasure broke over her.

"Lorelai," he whispered into her hair as he buried his face in her neck and emptied himself into her. "I'm sorry."

"Wha? Why?" she mumbled as she nuzzled his ear.

"Too fast," he grumbled.

"Perfect. Why didn't we realize how perfect it would be?" she wondered aloud.

Luke chuckled as he pressed soft wet kisses to her neck. "I can do better."

"Better than perfection?"

"Your standards must be low," he said as he shook his head a bit.

"Well…"

"Oh, no. Not here. Not now," he said quickly.

Lorelai laughed and said, "I wasn't going to."

"Just tell me I'm the best," he said with a wry smile as he lifted his head. "Guys like it when you lie to them," he assured her as he gently brushed her hair back from her damp forehead.

Lorelai smiled and asked, "Would you believe me if I said I wouldn't be lying?"

"Gladly."

"Hi," she whispered with an almost shy smile.

Luke smiled back and said, "You can't really be blushing now. Look at us."

"I like us," Lorelai said happily.

"I like us too." Luke pressed a soft kiss to her lips and began to push away from her.

Lorelai tightened her legs around him and grasped his arms. "Where are you going?"

"I'm trying to let you breathe."

"Don't need to."

"Yes, you do. I just spent a whole week trying to fix your respiratory system," he reminded her.

"And you did excellent work," she answered with a grin. "The soup was great." Luke smirked as he debated whether or not to tell her that the bowl she had the first day was from a can. "My taste buds must have been a little off at first, but once I could really taste it, well, that alone would have gotten me to sleep with you, just so you know."

"Good information," Luke said with a nod. "I'll let the people at Campbell's know about the first bowl."

Lorelai gasped and asked, "You gave me canned chicken soup?"

Luke shrugged and said, "It was 8:00AM on a Saturday morning in August. No, I did not have a batch of homemade chicken soup ready just in case you came down with a cold."

"Let that be a lesson to you," Lorelai admonished.

"Don't worry, I froze the rest of the soup I made. I'm ready for you now."

Lorelai beamed up at him as she traced his lower lip with her fingertip. "I'm ready for you too," she said confidently. Luke flushed with pleasure as he kissed her fingertip and then kissed her lips. Lorelai sighed and looked up at him dolefully as she said, "I have to go home."

"Yeah."

"I don't want to."

"I don't want you to."

"But I guess Jess wouldn't appreciate this much."

Luke chuckled and said, "Probably not."

"Am I going to see you tomorrow?" she asked.

Luke smiled and said, "Probably."

"I mean, not in a food service capacity," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"If you want to."

"I do.

"Then you will."

"Is it really going to be that easy?" she asked.

"With us? Probably not," he admitted with a laugh.

"You're right," she agreed.

"But I don't care if it's easy or not."

"Me either."

Luke kissed her once more and then sighed heavily as he pushed himself back off of her. He looked down at her sprawled on his bed; warm, soft and deliciously rumpled, and his heart leapt in his chest.

"What?" she asked softly.

Luke shook his head mutely, and then smiled. "How're your lips? Still haunted?"

"They may be possessed," she said solemnly. "They'll need lots and lots of exercise."

"Exorcism?"

Lorelai shook her head as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Nah, I'm keeping you."

Luke stepped into his boxer briefs and then scooped her panties up from the floor. "Good," he said as he handed them to her. "I'd hate to have to haunt you." He picked up her bra and blouse and waited patiently as she pulled her underwear back on. "I'll walk you home," he said as he handed them to her.

Lorelai smiled up at him flirtatiously and said, "You're prettier than Patrick Swayze anyway."

Luke frowned as he straightened out the legs of his jeans. "Uh, thanks, I guess."

Lorelai shook out her skirt and slipped it over her feet before standing up. She wiggled it up over her hips with a grin and said, "Well, if a girl has to be haunted, it should be by a hot ghost with a nice ass."

Luke zipped his jeans but left them unbuttoned as he dove for her again. Lorelai laughed as he pushed her back onto the bed and kissed her soundly. "Good luck getting rid of me now," he said in a low voice. "I'm going to haunt you until the day I die. And then some," he added with a laugh.


	19. String Symphony: Is it Live or Memorex?

**A/N: **This chapter belongs to **Bigbagofweird**, **Jewels** and **Lorelai Squared**, who pooled their funds and made a generous donation to the **Support Stacie Silent Auction** to purchase little old moi. I thank them for the donation but mostly for their support and encouragement on a daily basis. You guys are super sweet, super funny and super cool! Enjoy your smutty smut smut!

Extremely unrealistic. Fairly immoral. As usual, I offer no apologies.

**A String Symphony: Is It Live or Is It Memorex?**

Luke moved the salt and pepper shakers to the side as he wiped down the last table. The bells above the door rang out and he sighed. "We're closed," he growled without looking up.

"Hey, Luke," Lorelai said as she closed the door behind her.

Luke's head jerked up in surprise. "Lorelai, hi." He took in the pretty red dress that had tormented him all day and forced his gaze up above the scooped neckline. Biting the inside of his cheek to remind himself to keep his eyes on her face, he asked, "Where's Rory?"

"Oh, she got a car. My parents…" Lorelai flashed a nervous smile and said, "She's gone home."

"Oh. It was a really nice ceremony, wasn't it?" he asked glad to find a safe topic to distract him from the pale freckles that dusted her milky skin.

"Yeah, it was beautiful," Lorelai agreed, wringing her hands lightly.

Luke frowned as he saw her fidgeting. "What's up?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say something to you in case we don't see each other before you go on your trip," she said in a rush.

"Sure, what?"

Lorelai glanced around the empty diner, and then reached behind her to lock the door. When Luke's eyebrows shot up, she pulled the cord to close the blinds.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked with a puzzled frown.

Lorelai's head swiveled as she checked to see that the rest of the blinds were down. Satisfied that no one would overhear, she turned back to Luke and took a small step closer to him. "Don't get engaged," she said in a low, urgent voice.

"What, why?" he asked blankly.

Lorelai's eyes widened in panic as she suddenly realized what she was doing. She whirled, the skirt of her dress dancing around her shapely calves as she reached for the door.

"Lorelai?" Luke called as she fumbled with the lock. He crossed to the door in two long strides. "Lorelai!" he repeated, pressing his palm to the door to hold it closed just as she turned the bolt. "What was that?" he demanded.

"Just don't get engaged, okay?" Lorelai muttered, refusing to meet his eyes.

"What the hell…" he began. "Why not?"

At that, Lorelai looked at him with her eyes flashing with a fire that rivaled the flaming red of her dress. "I hate her."

"What? Nicole? Why?"

"I hate that you're with her. I hate that you love her."

Luke blinked at the vehemence in her voice. "I don't love her," he answered without giving it a thought.

Lorelai's eyes met his and she saw the confusion in their dark blue depths. Luke searched her face, trying in vain to find a clue as to what had brought this outburst on, but then all hopes for rational thought were obliterated as she pressed her palms to his cheeks. Holding him captive, her fingers lightly stroking his temples, Lorelai pressed her lips to his. He froze for a fraction of a second, but the soft warmth of her lips was too much to resist. He kissed her back, tasting her for the first time, memorizing the shape and texture of her lips, breathing her in as he wrapped one arm around her waist and hauled her up against him.

Lorelai moaned and brushed the bright blue cap from his head as her fingers sank into his hair. She parted her lips in a blatant invitation for him to take more, and take he did. Her soft curves molded to his body, pressing into him, yielding to him as the tip of her tongue sought his. Luke groaned as they tangled velvety soft with more than a hint of smoldering sensuality that set his blood on fire. He pulled back as if he had been seared. "Lorelai," he rasped.

"I hate that you touch her," Lorelai said breathlessly. She opened the first button on his shirt, catching her bottom lip between her teeth as she focused on freeing the next button with ferocious concentration. "I hate that you want her. Want me, Luke. Touch me," she said in a soft, seductive voice.

Luke's hands plunged into her hair, tipping her head back as he crushed her lips under his, kissing her with every ounce of yearning he had ever felt for her. Lorelai stumbled back under the force of the kiss, the metal blinds crashing against the glass door as he pinned her against it with the solid bulk of his body. She made a soft purring sound in her throat, urging him on as her fingers grappled with the next button.

Their tongues circled and danced; dueling for supremacy, fighting for control, and demanding absolute surrender. Lorelai grunted her frustration and yanked hard on his shirt, trying to pop the remaining buttons free. The flannel held fast, and she tore her lips from his. "Dammit," she hissed as she attacked them once again, fumbling until she reached the last one, her knuckles grazing the fly of his faded jeans. Luke gulped in deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart as he stared down at the dark curls framing her face.

"Lorelai," he whispered.

"No Luke, don't think," Lorelai said as she parted the plaid and spread her hands over the worn smooth cotton that covered his torso. "Don't think."

"But…"

"Want me," she whispered as she kissed him. Her lips brushed over his, teasing them with a whisper soft kiss and seducing him sweetly as her fingers skimmed over his chest.

"I do," he murmured against her lips.

"Do you?" Lorelai asked as she pressed soft kisses to his jaw. "Do you ever think of me?"

"Yes."

"Do you think of me when you're with her? Touching her?" Lorelai asked, her warm breath rushing over his ear. "Think of me, Luke. Touch me."

His hands found her waist and his thumbs pressed into the curve of her stomach, his fingers almost touching as they spanned the small of her back. He ducked his head and pushed her hair back with his nose, inhaling the scent of her perfume as he opened his mouth and drew the tender skin just beneath her ear into his mouth. Lorelai moaned and a soft, "Yes," escaped her lips. His hands traveled slowly upward, molding to the shape of her ribcage as his lips, teeth and tongue ravaged her neck.

Lorelai slipped her hands inside the open flannel and grappled with his t-shirt. Her breath was hot as it stirred his hair. She tugged the back of his shirt, desperate to free if from the snug denim that trapped it, aching to touch the heat of his skin emanating through the thin cotton. When she succeeded, her fingers immediately sought him out, smoothing over the warm, smooth planes of his back, playing over the taut muscles, absorbing as much of his heat as she could as she flattened her palms to him. Luke growled softly as he cupped both of her breasts and bit down on the delectable curve where her neck met her shoulder.

Lorelai arched into his hands and he pressed her back against the door again, the blinds screeching against the glass in protest as he sucked hard on her delicate flesh. "Me, Luke," she whispered raggedly. Luke took possession of her breasts, his thumbs tracing the curve of her through the rough lace of her dress. He pulled back, pressing his hips into her to hold her there as he looked down to see the gentle swells of pale skin pushed up over the edge of the bodice. And then he bent down, showering the tops of her breasts with wet kisses, dipping his tongue into the soft, fragrant valley between them.

The blinds creaked as Lorelai pressed her head back into the door, thrusting her breasts at him. Her nipples ached as he teased them through the fabric of her dress, coaxing them into tight hard peaks. Luke sucked in a shaky breath and lifted his head, stretching to his full height as he stared at her, his lips parted with desire. Lorelai shook her head, the metal slats of the blinds crackling behind her as she answered his unspoken question. "I don't want to stop. Don't stop."

Luke gave her a slight nod as his lips descending on hers again. Lorelai curled her fingers into his back, clinging to the curve of his muscles with one hand as she pulled the other free. She raised it to his face, stroking his jaw and relishing the feel of his five o'clock shadow rasping her fingertips, cheeks and chin. She undulated against him, circling her hips, arching into the hard ridge in his jeans.

She whimpered when he shifted to the side, pressing himself into her hip and grinding against her as he kissed his way down her throat. Luke made a low growling sound as he felt her swallow hard against his lips. He dipped his tongue into the hollow at the base of her throat as he plunged one hand into the neckline of her dress. "Oh!" she gasped as her hand flew up and she grasped a handful of the blinds. The slats crinkled in her hand as Luke lowered his lips to her breast, his breath flowing hot through the fabric as he squeezed her gently, pressing his open mouth to the raised peak and bit her gently through the material. Her hand slid down, playing the slats like a xylophone before her fisting her fingers into his flannel.

Luke gathered the skirt of her dress in his other hand, frantically pulling it higher and higher until his fingers grazed her silky thigh. He groaned and stepped back, pressing his hungry mouth to her other breast while he closed his hand over the first, pressing her roughly against his palm. He rose once more, capturing her mouth with a punishing kiss, trapping his hand between them as he lifted her leg to his hip and ground into her. His fingers worked higher and higher on her thigh, grazing the elastic barrier that kept him from her, teasing her with feather soft brushes that sent a rush of heat through her, soaking the lace of her panties.

Lorelai flattened one hand to his chest and pushed with all her strength. Luke staggered back, a dazed expression clouding his face, his eyes dark and heavily lidded as he pulled his hands from her dress. He blinked slowly, suddenly bereft by the loss of her. "I'm sorry," he whispered automatically.

"I'm not," Lorelai answered as she gave him another shove, propelling him back toward the nearest table. She reached for the buckle on his belt and deftly began to open it. "I'm not sorry," she repeated as she opened the button on his jeans with one hand while drawing his zipper down with the other.

Luke stepped back, bumping into the table and pushing it across the scarred tiled floor. The salt and pepper shakers slid and rolled from the table, crashing to the floor as Lorelai reached into his boxers and wrapped her fingers around his stiff shaft. "Oh God," he murmured, closing his eyes as she stroked him firmly, her knuckles pressing into his stomach.

"Oh, yes," Lorelai countered, quickly releasing him and then tugging on the waistband of his jeans. She pulled his boxers down around his taut, muscled thighs. She caressed him with the tips of her fingers, trailing over his pulsing flash. "So hard," she murmured as she stroked the length of him. Luke's knees buckled and he sat back on the table, his hands wrapped around her upper arms as he closed his eyes, savoring the sensation of her fingers gliding over him.

Lorelai sank to her knees, trapping the skirt of her dress beneath her as Luke's eyes flew open and he groaned in anticipation. Lorelai smiled as his fingers threaded in her hair, twisting into her curls, pressing into her scalp. She exhaled slowly, watching as he twitched and jumped with a satisfied smile. "Who do you want?" she asked in a soft, dangerous voice.

"You," he managed to rasp.

"I want you," Lorelai said as she looked up at him boldly.

Luke stared down at her. Her vivid eyes stayed locked on his as she parted her wet, red lips. He saw her pink tongue dart out to wet them again, and he stopped breathing altogether. A moment later that soft, pink tongue pressed to the base of his shaft, and her breath tickled his balls. "Please," the word escaped his lips unbidden.

"Mm hmm," Lorelai hummed as she dragged her tongue slowly up the length of him.

She inhaled deeply as she circled the tip of him teasingly. When he grunted softly, she smiled and looked up at him again. He stared down at her, his mouth slack and his chest heaving as he forced his lungs to take in air and expel it again. He watched as she wrapped her lips around him, holding him in her mouth as she looked up at him through her lashes. Luke's control snapped. He thrust into her mouth, groaning loudly as she drew him in, her sleek tongue gliding over the vein that pulsed in his smooth shaft. His fingers tightened on her scalp as she sucked him deeper, her fingers digging into his narrow hips, controlling his need to push further. Luke felt himself surge, his blood boiling as she worked him steadily, her lips tugging him deeper and deeper as her tongue caressed him.

When she pulled away, releasing him with a pop, he almost wept. A guttural groan ripped from his body with a fraught, "No!"

Lorelai rocked back on her heels and looked up at him with a smile of pure feminine pleasure. "Yes," she said firmly as she grasped his hips and guided him away from the table toward one of the chairs. Luke dropped into it with a grunt as she stood up. Lorelai smiled again as she pulled the skirt of her vivid red dress up, and pushed at the scrap of red lace on her hips. Luke watched as she wiggled her legs and then her panties fell to her ankles. She pressed one hand to his shoulder to steady herself as she stepped out of them, and then pushed him back in the chair.

He caught her waist as she held her skirt up and straddled his thighs. She lowered herself, grasping his erection and brushing the head teasingly along her damp folds. "I want you, Luke," she said as she circled her hips, rubbing against him. He pulled down, digging his fingers into her hips as he felt her part against him. "Want me," she whispered into his ear as she sank down, the very tip of him pushing into her.

"You don't know. Don't you know?" he asked as she dropped her skirt, the material flowing over them as he thrust up into her.

Lorelai braced her hands on his shoulders and threw her head back as a gasp tore from her throat. His hands slipped to her ass, gathering her dress in his fingers as he squeezed her rounded cheeks. He held her there as he leaned forward, pressing hot wet kisses to her throat and dragged his tongue over her exposed collarbone. His hands guided her as she pushed against he floor, rising up and plunging down on him wantonly.

"Me, me, love me," she panted as she rode him faster and faster.

Luke fell back against the chair, drinking in the sight of her dark curls tumbling down her back and the sound of her soft mews of pleasure. She impaled herself on him, grinding into him with each surge. "You," he swore, his voice hoarse with emotion unleashed.

"Luke," she whispered urgently.

"Oh, yes," he murmured as if a prayer.

She cried out as he felt her tightening around him, her walls squeezing him as the blood rushed in his ears. His name bounced off of the walls of the empty diner as the spasms of her climax wracked her body, drawing him deeper, taking him over the edge.

"Lorelai, Lorelai," he whispered, afraid that the moment would disappear in a poof of smoke and mist. His arms banded her to him like steel as he pushed up off of the chair, his damp skin ripping from the vinyl seat as he buried himself in her, filling her, making her his. "Lorelai," he murmured into her neck as she slowed, praying she would still be there when he opened his eyes. He pulsed inside of her as he pressed his face to the swell of her breasts, listening to the rapid beat of her heart for confirmation.

Lorelai kissed his hair, stroking his neck and shoulders to soothe him, massaging the rigid muscles until they turned to liquid under her ministrations.

The diner echoed with the sound of their mingled breaths as they came down. He felt her press a soft lingering kiss to the crown of his head as she shifted slightly and knew that he couldn't hold her any longer. Reluctantly, he loosened his arms. Lorelai smiled lazily as she pulled away from him. She kissed him softly. Luke could taste himself on her lips, and the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to keep her there forever made his heart ache.

"Don't," he said, his voice cracking.

"I have to get home. Rory's waiting," she whispered.

Luke closed his eyes as she rose up and he felt himself slip from her heart. The emptiness he felt as the cool air rushed over his damp flesh made him shudder. He sat completely exposed and helpless to form the right words as he watched her scoop the red lace panties from the floor. She balled them into her fist and tugged at the bodice and skirt of her dress, looking down to be sure that everything was where it should be. She looked up, nervously pulling at the hem of her sweater and then ran her hand over her curls to smooth them into place.

Luke managed to lift himself from the chair enough to yank his boxers back into place, but his jeans still pooled at his ankles, anchored by the weight of his belt. Lorelai chewed the inside of her cheek as she finally met his troubled gaze. She pressed her lips together and then leaned down to drop a quick kiss to his lips. She pulled away too soon, and Luke leaned forward, desperate for more.

Lorelai looked deep into his eyes and smiled ruefully. "Don't get engaged," she whispered, and then whirled for the door.

Luke watched as she turned the lock and fled, the skirt of her dress narrowly escaping the door as it slammed behind her. The sound of the bells reverberated through him as he dropped his eyes to his lap and drew in a deep breath.

****

"Oh my God, why is it so hot already?" Lorelai asked. She waved her hand in front of her face as she followed Rory through the diner door.

"Says the woman wearing a turtleneck," Rory said with a smirk as she hurried to the counter.

"It's sleeveless," Lorelai said defensively. "And, it's a mock turtleneck because I am nothing if not a mocker. Besides, all my other clothes are rolled up into tiny balls and shoved into a humongous backpack, remember?"

"Hey," Luke said with a slight nod as he stepped out of the kitchen. "Aren't you leaving today?"

Rory nodded and said, "Shuttle comes in forty minutes."

"We thought we'd have time for one last hit. It is Danish Day, isn't it?" Lorelai asked with a winning smile.

"I have a couple," Luke said gruffly as he reached for the coffee pot. "Here?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"To-go," Rory said quickly. "We have some last minute stuff to do."

Luke reached for two take out cups and began to pour. "You excited?"

"Beyond excited," Lorelai said with a nod. "We'll bring you a present."

"You don't need to," Luke said quickly.

"Of course we do! You're our Luke," Lorelai said indignantly.

"Yes, I know that you probably have been dreaming of having your very own light up Eiffel Tower statue," Rory said dryly.

"Everyone has dreams," Luke said in a low voice as he placed lids on the cups. He grabbed a bag and moved to lift the lid from the bakery plate. "Cherry?"

"Yes, please," Lorelai said with a grin. "Oh! I have something for you," she told him as she dug into her jeans pocket. She pulled out a shiny new house key and said, "Can I leave this with you? Just in case? Babette has one too, but I thought it would be good to have backup in case the something happens and the house takes hers down with it when it implodes."

"Anything you need me to do while you're gone?" Luke asked as he set the bag in front of them and took the key from her fingertips.

"No, I just didn't want to leave one in the turtle. Too many people know about it," Lorelai said with a shrug.

Luke nodded and said, "I'll go set the water heater to the vacation setting and make sure the windows are locked and stuff."

"Thank you, you're the best," Lorelai said as Rory grabbed the bag and her cup. She pulled a five from her pocket and held it out to him.

Luke shook his head as he waved it away. "On me. Have a good trip. Be careful," he added gravely.

"We will," Rory assured him as she pushed off of her stool.

"She will," Lorelai said with a grin. "Me, I can't guarantee anything."

"Of course you can't," he grumbled.

"Bye, Luke. Thanks," Rory said as she toasted him with her cup and turned toward the door.

"Thanks," Lorelai echoed as she stood up. She paused and gave him a long look before glancing over her shoulder and tugging lightly at the neck of her summer sweater. Satisfied that no one was close enough to hear her, she leaned forward and whispered, "Remember, don't get engaged. I'll be home in six weeks."

Luke stepped back as she turned and hurried to the door. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched as she whirled through the door, pursing her glossy pink lips and blowing him a soft kiss. He fell back against the back counter, crossed his arms over his chest, and wondered how he would ever make it through the next six weeks when the taste of her still lingered on his lips.


	20. A Kiss Can Be Very Telling

A/N: This chapter belongs to **Chants**, who purchased this chapter in the Support Stacie Silent Auction. Like what you see here? You too, can own a piece of the Mags. Be sure to be at the **Author Auction happening April 3-6** for all of the action! Thank you **Chants**, and thank you all for reading!  
****

A Kiss Can Be Very Telling  
  
_Humiliation was the word of the day. Today has been brought to you by the letter 'H'. Day? Strike that. This week has been brought to you in its entirety by the good folks at Humiliatron, makers of the finest embarrassing moments of your life,_ Lorelai thought at she draped her arm over her forehead. _Okay, that might be a little bit of an exaggeration,_ she admitted to herself. But this week was definitely in the top ten. Somewhere below having her school uniforms altered to cover her burgeoning stomach, the Coyote Ugly dance at the Salute to the Quakers festival, and the weekly Friday night dinners she was now forced to endure, but a bit above the tragic yoga incident, the gauchos and the time she decided that she could bake the cupcakes for Rory's sixth birthday party when Sookie came down with the flu.

She should have known that she was tempting fate by embracing the refreshing new breeziness in her life. She should have waited until after they had been to Luke's to admit to Rory that she had been going commando for a few days. When Rory decided to use her panty-less state as a bargaining chip, she was both proud and completely humiliated. The pride soon outweighed her mortification when it appeared that Rory's announcement had not been heard. But, as they left the diner, she was engulfed by a fresh wave of humiliation when Luke made it perfectly clear that he had heard every word.

Then her embarrassment turned into indignation when a teeny tiny, utterly female part of her psyche registered the fact that the news hadn't ruffled him at all. Yes, she could admit now that she was a tad bit miffed as she made her way to the inn that morning. His jaw hadn't dropped, his eyes hadn't glazed over with lust, and no, he didn't lick his lips and pant after her driven by desire run amok. No. Instead, he offered a friendly bit of advice cloaked in a heavy coat of sarcasm. And Lorelai Gilmore was just woman enough to admit that it was more than a little galling. Especially considering what had happened earlier this evening.

Lorelai reached up and covered her burning face with her hands, tugging them down in a way that would have made Edvard Munch proud. _I can't think about that yet,_ she told herself sternly. _It's too embarrassing. Mortifying. _But try as she might, Lorelai couldn't help but think about it. She was in shock. Stunned by her body's treasonous ways. Staggered by the raw desire that had pulsed through her veins. Astounded that it was Luke; her Luke, their Luke, Stars Hollow's Luke, that set her senses reeling. _How does that happen?_ she wondered. _How could I not know that it would be like that? Did I know? Is that why I never let things get past third grade teasing and the tenth grade flirting? What is it that made me go from Lorelai Gilmore to Traci Lords in sixty seconds flat? Less than sixty seconds. More like 1.2 seconds, _she corrected. _How could it be that she was talking to him, teasing him, whining to him one moment, and then practically begging him to handle her lemons the next?_

Lorelai shook her head to clear it as she pushed herself up against the headboard. "Cold benches," she muttered mutinously as she tried to shove all thoughts of Luke Danes from her mind. She failed, of course, so she decided to stomp him down by reliving yet another humiliating moment from just a few days ago. There was no way thoughts of Luke could withstand the degradation she felt when Mrs. Kim, of all people, informed her that her daughter, her Rory, her best friend, had been kissed. Rory had been kissed by a boy and she didn't know about it. She had been completely blown away, unable to process Mrs. Kim's rant about the sanctity of the grocery store, and how food should not be tainted by such indelicate matters as a young girl's first kiss. Her first kiss. Which she didn't tell her mother about. Or her best friend. _Well, she told Lane, who is her best friend that's her age, but she didn't tell me, the first best friend that she ever had. I should have had dibs on that, as both her mother and her friend, _Lorelai thought petulantly. _And to hear about it from Mrs. Kim, the woman who knows nothing about her own daughter! The ultimate humiliation!_ she thought with a derisive snort.

Yes, that was worse than being caught stalking the bag boy. It was worse than having to be forcibly removed from the premises by her friend and favorite coffee provider. _His lips are so soft. Softer than I ever thought they would be._ The thought popped into her head uninvited, and Lorelai grunted in frustration as she pounded her fists against the mattress in a futile attempt to beat it back. Futile, because all she could think about was how close he stood in that aisle. The down filled vest he wore over his customary flannel was soft. His chest was hard. She had leaned into him, holding him back, hoping that he would hold her back if she suddenly lunged for the boy who had wormed his way into her daughter's heart and mouth.

_Stupid new kid with his floppy hair and that long, gangly body. He didn't look anything like Christopher, not really. What would Luke know about my tastes in men, anyway? He tasted good. Sweet. That kiss was so sweet; I could have consumed a dozen of them without thinking. Oh don't think about it, _she admonished herself. _Don't think about what he said. Don't think about what he did, how he tasted, how he smelled, how strong and solid his body felt as you threw yourself at him. Don't think about the way his voice cracked a little when he said that you didn't have to tell Rory_, she thought as she squeezed her eyes shut and pressed the heels of her hands to them. "I have to tell Rory," she whispered to the empty room.

The problem was that she wasn't sure that Rory would want to hear it. The past few days had been a roller coaster. _No, a moon shot._ Suddenly they were catapulted into a whole new stratosphere. Suddenly, she was the mother. Things were hidden. Things went unsaid. This was all uncharted territory for them. They were about to boldly go where their relationship had never gone; split infinitives and all.

_Boys. Boys were trouble. Aren't I proof of that? Well, actually, Rory is the proof of that. And now my beautiful, smart, talented little scrap of evidence is about to wade into that whole mess of stuff that comes with them._ Lorelai sighed as she sank back down on the pillows, crossing her arms over her chest. _In some ways, boys were insanely predictable. You always knew the ones you could get with a well timed hair flip and a flirty smile, those were easy to spot. No, it's the sneaky ones with the sweet, shy smiles and the low, soft words that you had to watch out for. They sneak up on you when you're carrying your Chunky Monkey to the checkout lane. They smile as they listen to you ramble, and then, bam!  
_  
Lorelai jumped guiltily as she heard the front door close. She draped one arm up over her head and cocked an ear, listening to see if she could hear Rory's footsteps on the stairs. She prayed that she would. She wasn't ready to be demoted from best friend to teenager's mom yet. She wanted to hear about that kiss. She wanted to tell Rory about hers. She didn't want Rory to hide things from her out of fear of disapproval. She didn't want Rory to hide things from her at all. She wanted them to be able to talk about how they felt, what they wanted, the boys they liked. She wanted more than a mother-daughter relationship with her daughter. She didn't want to be just the mother. She didn't want to be her mother.

There was a creak in the hallway and Lorelai turned her head, smiling as Rory stepped into the room and flopped down onto the bed without a word.  
Lorelai took a deep breath and said, "So that went well."

"Yeah, not bad," Rory answered softly.

"Did I humiliate you?" Lorelai asked, cringing inside.

"I don't know. What did you say to him when I went to the bathroom?"

"That you're pretty," Lorelai teased.

"Liar."

"Yeah, well..."

Rory nodded slightly and rolled up to the edge of the bed as she said, "I'm gonna go to bed." Lorelai sighed, and Rory paused in the doorway. "Mom, what's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Yes there is. Come on, tell me," Rory cajoled as she stepped back into the room.

"Nothing," Lorelai insisted. When she looked over at her daughter, she sighed again and said, "I just really wanted you to tell me about that kiss."

Rory chewed her lip. "I'm so sorry. I really wanted to, I swear. I just got scared and…"

"I know. I'm not mad," she assured her. "I just wanted to hear about it. That's all. It's no big deal. Its okay I'm fine. It's one too many Caramello bars," she said with a weak smile. "I'm sorry. You have school, I have work, so time for bed."

"Okay. Night," Rory said reluctantly.

"Okay, night, hon."

Rory stopped in the doorway again and called, "Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"I know this is lame and totally after the fact but…" Rory began hesitantly.

A relieved smile washed over Lorelai's face as she quickly sat up and tucked her legs under her. "Start from the beginning and you leave anything out you die! Where were you?"

Rory grinned as she sat back down on the bed. "Okay, I was in the aisle where the ant spray is…"

"That's a good aisle," Lorelai answered approvingly.  
"I know! That's what Lane said too," Rory agreed with a nod. "But anyway, so he was working and I go into the store and I sort of walked around and was pretending to shop..."

"Did Taylor think you were shoplifting?" Lorelai joked.

Rory's cheeks flamed bright red as she said, "No, but he probably should have kept an eye on me."

Lorelai blinked and asked, "Are you living a life of crime that I don't know about?"

"Just let me get through the story," Rory said impatiently.

"So, you were pretending to shop…"

"Anyway," she said, shooting Lorelai a hard stare. "He was working, and when he looked up, I just grabbed the nearest thing and pretended to read the label."

"What was it?"

"Cornstarch," Rory admitted with a grimace.

"Ah. Well, good choice. I don't even know what cornstarch does, so you could learn a lot from that label," Lorelai said encouragingly.

"It thickens things," Rory told her. "So, then he offered me a pop, and I mocked him for his use of 'pop'."

"Mocking is good, boys like that," Lorelai said, scooting a little closer, a giddy grin plastered to her face.

"Well, I guess he did, because he took a couple of cans from the case and hid them behind his back and told me to pick a hand. When I did, he kissed me," Rory said, a faint blush tingeing her cheeks as she looked down shyly.

Lorelai's smile softened as she whispered, "And you said thank you." Rory sighed and shuddered a little, but didn't look up. "Aw, Sweets, I am happy for you," she said sincerely as she brushed her hand over Rory's arm. When Rory looked up, Lorelai smiled. "It's such an exciting time, your first kiss, the first boy you've really liked."

"Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Rory said with a slight wince.

"It's okay. I get it."

"I shoplifted," Rory confessed in a rush of breath.

"You did?" Lorelai blinked in surprise.

"It was totally accidental. He kissed me, and I kind of freaked out. I ran out of the store and right to Lane's before I realized that I was still holding the cornstarch," she explained. When Lorelai laughed, Rory shook her head adamantly. "It's not funny. I had to sneak back in later and leave a dollar-fifty in the penny cup. I was afraid that Taylor would blame Dean."

"Don't worry, I'll handle Taylor if anyone says anything about it," Lorelai promised. "I'm sorry that I embarrassed you tonight," she said sincerely.

"You didn't embarrass me," Rory said quickly.  
"I did, and I was wrong to invite him over," Lorelai insisted. "I just, I can't help but want to help," she added with a shrug.

"I know, its okay."

"You guys seemed to be getting along pretty well. By the time Mike Teevee was making his screen debut you were ready to get rid of me again," she pointed out.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Rory apologized.

"No need to be sorry."

"Where did you go?"

"I, uh, I went to Doose's for ice cream," Lorelai stammered.

Rory frowned. "You didn't have any ice cream when you came in. Did you eat it all before you got home?"

"Never got it," Lorelai confessed. "As a matter of fact, I almost shoplifted it."

Rory smirked and asked, "Forgot your wallet again, huh?"

"Um, no," Lorelai said slowly. She looked up and said, "Doose's Market must be a hot spot for the Gilmore women."

"What?"

"Luke kissed me tonight. In Doose's," Lorelai said quietly, watching Rory's face carefully to gauge her reaction.

"Luke? Luke Danes?" Rory asked in a bewildered tone.

"I was there, Ben in one hand, Jerry in the other, and there he was, picking out some apples," Lorelai tried to explain, still not quite making sense of it herself.

"And he just kissed you?"

Lorelai shook her head and said, "We talked a little. I was telling him that the bag… that Dean was at our house. He was berating me for leaving you alone with him," she added with a wink. "And, I was teasing him, babbling on about him being left alone with girls, and what moves he makes on them, and then next thing I know, he's kissing me," she said with a helpless shrug.

"He just kissed you," Rory stated in disbelief.

"He said something about having to really like the girl to take the chance, and then he kissed me," Lorelai confirmed.

"Wow," Rory breathed.

"I know."

Rory's brow furrowed as she processed the information. "Luke does really like you," she said at last.

"Apparently," Lorelai answered dryly.

"Do you like him? Like that, I mean," Rory clarified.

"I, uh, I don't know, I mean, I do, but he's Luke," Lorelai stumbled.

"You do like him that way," Rory said quietly as it all became clear to her.

"I don't… I do," Lorelai conceded with a defeated sigh.

"What happened after he kissed you?" Rory asked.

Lorelai grimaced and said, "Well, uh, when we were done, I mean, when it was over, he said something about how I didn't have to tell you about it if that made me feel better."

"Feel better?"

"Well, I was feeling a little upset, you know, because you didn't tell me about your kiss," Lorelai explained.

"Luke knows about that?" Rory demanded.

"He sort of caught me stalking Dean," Lorelai admitted. When she saw Rory's lips flatten into a line, she reached out and touched Rory's arm. "Don't be mad, I was upset, and Luke kept me from attacking Dean and strangling him with his apron strings."

"I'm not mad. Just a little embarrassed," Rory grumbled.

"Well, I seem to be living my life fueled by embarrassment and humiliation this week, so it makes sense that we're both feeling that way. There's bound to be some spillover."

"What are you going to do about Luke?" When Lorelai held up her palms in a gesture of futility, Rory persisted. "Are you going to tell him that you like him too?"

"I don't know," Lorelai said in a low voice.

Rory nodded slowly and then said, "Maybe you just need to sleep on it."

"Yeah, that might help," Lorelai replied, knowing that there was no way she'd be able to sleep if she dared to think about it.

Rory nodded and said, "Well, I'm glad that you told me."

"I should have let Mrs. Kim tell you, give you a taste of your own medicine," Lorelai muttered.

Rory leaned forward and pecked a tiny kiss to Lorelai's cheek. "Night, Mom. Sweet dreams," she added with an impish grin as she scooted off of the bed.

"Your boy is cute, Rory," Lorelai called after her. "And very sweet. I think he really likes you."

Rory turned as she reached for the doorknob and began to pull Lorelai's door closed a little. She grinned and said, "Yours too. Night."

"Night," Lorelai murmured as she sat still in the center of her bed, listening to Rory pad down the steps. Finally, she flopped back onto her pillows, and her memories of her trip to Doose's came flooding back to her.

**

_She stood in front of the freezer case trying to decide if she needed to Chunky Monkeys or if she should opt for Phish Food for the second pint. Deciding that she didn't feel very aquatic, Lorelai grabbed the second pint of chubby primate and decided to grab a couple of oranges as a penance and a talisman against the case of scurvy she feared was imminent. She paused when she turned the corner and saw Luke dropping shiny red apples into a bag that already contained three bright green specimens._

"Are you sure they're allowed to co-mingle?" she asked, peering around his arm.

Luke jumped and then scowled as he turned to look at her over his shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"I felt the call of the wild," Lorelai said as she held up a pint of ice cream in each hand. She grinned when Luke shuddered visibly, and said, "Don't worry, I'm getting some Florida sunshine to chase it with," as she nodded to the display of oranges next to the apples. "Are you making a pie for me?"

Luke shook his head and said, "These aren't pie apples."

"All apples should be pie apples," she said gravely. Lorelai glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was nearby, and saw that the store was deserted. "The bag boy is in my living room," she said in a low, conspiratorial voice.

"Huh?"

"The bag boy, Dean, he's at my house watching Willie Wonka with Rory."

"He's at your house? And you left him there alone with Rory?" Luke asked, incredulous.

"They're fine. Three feet apart," she said dismissively.

"Well, yeah, while you're there!"

"Luke, he's not seducing my daughter to the Oompa Loompa song. At least, I hope not, that would totally ruin it for me," she added with a frown.

"You left them alone. You know he's already kissed her," Luke pointed out, clearly concerned.

"I've only been gone five minutes."

"Doesn't take much more than that," Luke grumbled.

Lorelai snorted and said, "You don't have to tell me."

"I can't believe you left them alone. You were totally nuts the other day."

"Well, he likes her, and she really likes him," Lorelai said as if that explained it all.

"All the more reason to be there. He's a teenage boy," Luke said darkly.

"Why? Are you afraid that he's putting the moves on her while Charlie and Uncle Grandpa Joe get tanked on Fizzy Lifting Drinks?"  
  
_"Lorelai, teenage guys are only looking for one thing," Luke said impatiently._

"That's not true, he really likes her, I can tell."

"Yeah, and when you really like a girl, you really want to do that even more," Luke insisted.

Lorelai snorted. "You're paranoid. You're projecting your own teen-Lothario scenarios onto him. Were you a player, Luke? I bet you were. I bet you left dozens of girls panting in your wake, didn't you?" she teased.

"Lorelai," he growled as a warning.

"Did they cry? Call your house begging to see you one more time?" she taunted.

"I'm just saying that when a guy really likes a girl, all he can think about is kissing her. And more," he added ominously.

"Not all guys are like that, Luke," she admonished.

"Yes, they are, Lorelai, I should know, I am one. And they never grow out of it," he argued, holding up one finger to emphasize his point.

"Psssht," Lorelai said with a wave of her hand, knocking his finger away.

Luke turned to face her fully, crowding her a little as he wound the plastic bag holding his apples tightly around his fingers. "I really like you, Lorelai," he said in a deep, rumbling voice. He leaned into her, his face centimeters from hers as he noticed that she suddenly stopped breathing. "I like you, and I think about kissing you all the time," he said quietly, and then captured her lips with his.

Lorelai's eyes widened a little, and then they closed as his lips seemingly melted into hers. She felt him sigh a little, as they caressed hers softly, drawing them against his, savoring the taste of salt and butter that lingered there. "Mmm, popcorn," he whispered as he pulled back.

Completely of their own volition, her arms encircled his neck, pressing the frozen containers of ice cream into his warm skin as she pulled him back to her and kissed him again, needing to feel his mouth on hers, suddenly desperate to worm her way into Luke's heart and Luke's mouth. He smelled good; like fries and savory, juicy burgers. He tasted good. Something sweet. Pie? Ice cream? she wondered as she pressed into him, pushing him back against the produce case as the air sizzled and popped around them. Fruit, she determined as his lips parted, under the onslaught and his hands gripped her waist. She moaned softly as his tongue touched hers and the apples bumped against the back of her thigh. Grapes, her brain sighed in relief as she arched into him, pressing her breasts to his chest, and cursing the soft down vest that was now an unwelcome barrier. With a soft mew of frustration, she circled her hips against his, mirroring his questing tongue, her blood heating beyond a slow simmer and heading straight for a boil.

Luke shifted slightly, spreading his legs and pulling her closer to him as a few lemons rolled from the carefully stacked display and plummeted to the floor in a series of heavy thuds. They noise made his eyes pop open and snapped him back to reality. Luke pulled back, firmly pushing her away from him. Lorelai's cheeks flamed as he stared at her, his mouth slack and his chest heaving. Luke swallowed hard, and then cleared his throat. "See? You should get home," he said softly.

When Lorelai found herself unable to do more than blink at him, he smiled and ducked his head as he gave it a little shake. He bent down and collected the fallen lemons in on hand, his long fingers curling around them as he looked at them blankly. He unwound the plastic bag from his fingers and then carefully added the bruised fruit to the apples he had completely forgotten about until that moment. When he looked up again, Lorelai was staring at her shoes. Luke gave a slight nod and then said hoarsely, "You don't have to tell Rory about this. It can be your secret."

Lorelai turned and stared after him, her mouth agape as she watched him pull a bill from his wallet and drop it onto the conveyor belt without stopping. Well, how do you like them apples? her brain whispered as her feet stayed rooted to the spot. He was out of the door before she could force her feet to move. And then, move they did.

"Luke! Wait!" Lorelai called as she started to jog down the aisle.

She had almost made it to the door when she heard the cashier call out, "Hey! Wait! You haven't paid for those!"

Lorelai looked down at the pints of Ben and Jerry's in her hands as if she had never seen them before, and then hurried back to the counter. "Sorry," she apologized quickly as she dumped them near the bagging stand and then whirled out of the door.

But once she hit the sidewalk, her frozen fingers tingled as they began to thaw, kick starting her brain along with them. "Oh my God," she whispered, pressing her cold fingertips to her warm lips as she stopped short of the diner's windows. "Oh my God," she said again, as she turned and took off for the refuge of her house at a dead run.

**

Lorelai stared up at the ceiling, her heart hammering, her chest heaving like Luke's had earlier as just the memory of what happened in the produce section of Doose's that evening stole her breath. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She shoved her feet into the worn sneakers she had put on to run to the market, crushing the backs of them under her heels in her haste. She crept silently down the steps, paused to pluck her cell phone from her purse, and slipped out of the front door into the cold night air.

She walked as quickly as she could, oblivious to the chill as her breath came in puffs of condensation. She scrolled through the numbers on her phone until she found the one she sought and pressed the phone to her ear as she listened to it ring.

Finally, he answered, his voice deep and rusty as he mumbled, "Hello?"

"I'm coming over. We need to talk," Lorelai said shortly, and then hung up.

As she stepped up onto the curb at the town square, she lost one of her shoes, and then precious moments as she bent to tug both shoes firmly onto her feet. Having secured her footwear, she took off again, almost breaking into a jog as she saw a light switch on over the diner's back counter. Moments later she trotted up the steps, out of breath and wild eyed as he opened the diner door and stepped back to let her in.

They studied each other warily for a moment, and then Luke ran his hand through his rumpled hair as he sighed and said, "Let's talk upstairs. I'm in my pajamas."

Lorelai followed him silently as they crossed the dining room, taking in the worn green t-shirt that stretched tight across his shoulders and the baggy grey sweatpants that somehow managed to cling to the tight curve of his ass. Luke held the curtain back and gestured for her to go ahead, and Lorelai sighed as she gave up her view in favor of getting it all out in the open as soon as possible.

When she stepped into his apartment, Lorelai looked around curiously, taking in the tiny space lined with shelves, the well worn furniture and the dark, masculine room that somehow seemed to suit him. Luke closed the door behind him with a click, and Lorelai turned to face him.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," she began.

"I wasn't sleeping," he stated flatly. "I, uh, I guess I should say that I'm sorry about what happened earlier," he said in a gruff tone, unable to meet her gaze.

"Are you?" she asked softly. Luke looked up, and Lorelai could clearly see that he wasn't. She nodded and whispered, "Tell me that you felt it too."

"I felt it too. I've felt it for a while now," he admitted.

"I told Rory," she confessed in a rush as she crossed the room and threw herself back into his arms, exhaling only when she felt his arms tighten around her. She brushed her cheek against his scruffy neck, inhaling deeply and finding herself a little disappointed by the fresh scent of shampoo and bar soap. "You showered," she murmured without thinking.

"A cold one," Luke admitted with a chuckle.

Lorelai smiled as she pulled back to look at him. "I thought about it. Did it help?"

Luke shook his head slowly and grumbled, "Not at all," as he pressed his lips to hers once more.

Lorelai saw his eyes close just before he kissed her, and tried to force herself to keep hers open, not wanting to miss a moment. She failed, sinking into him as his lips moved against hers, tasting, teasing, savoring every bit of her. Lorelai's hands glided over his shoulders, memorizing the hard ridges of muscle that played under the soft cotton of his shirt, soaking up the heat that radiated from him as his tongue sought and found hers again.

Luke groaned low and deep as her velvety tongue massaged his in a slow, sensual dance of seduction. She pressed into him, every inch of her body plastered to his as she tipped her head back in an invitation for him to take his fill. Luke's fingers wound into her hair, flexing and curling into her dark tresses as he cradled the back of her head in his palm. His other hand found its way under the hem of her shirt, only to be thwarted by the white tank top she wore tucked tightly into her pants. Lorelai's breath caught in her throat, and Luke pulled back, giving her a moment to make the decision.

Lorelai blinked at him, taking in the dark blue eyes glazed with lust and the soft, parted lips he wet with the tip of his tongue as he tried to catch his breath, and her lips curved into a smile of pure feminine satisfaction just before she kissed him heatedly. Luke responded immediately, his fingers closing on the fabric and fisting it into his palm as he yanked it free from her waistband, His hand spread over the bare skin of her back, holding her to him as he warmed the skin chilled by the crisp autumn air. He tore his mouth from hers and began to press fervent kisses to her cheek and jaw as he murmured, "No coat."

"No time," Lorelai whispered as she tilted her head to grant him better access. "Had to get here. Had to get to you," she murmured as her pressed his open mouth to her neck and sucked gently.

Luke lifted his head and said sternly, "It's too cold to run around without a coat on."

"Warm me up," Lorelai said as she grasped the back of his head and pulled him back down to her neck. Luke's teeth scraped over her earlobe before he pressed his lips to the pulse that jumped in her throat. Lorelai moaned as she lowered her arms to his waist. She slipped her hands under his shirt and ran them greedily over his back, urging him on by scraping her nails lightly over his skin.

Luke lifted his head and began to kiss her softly, nipping at her lips as he pressed his hand into her back to steady her and began walking her toward his bed. "If you're gonna leave, you had better leave now," he growled between kisses.

"I'll have to leave, but not until later," she told him breathlessly.

"I'm not sixteen, I want to do so much more than kiss you," Luke warned.

"More, more," Lorelai repeated as she walked backwards, letting him steer her.

"I want more than sex," he said bluntly as he pulled back to look her in the eye.

"So much more," Lorelai answered. She licked her lips nervously and held his gaze.

Luke gathered both of her shirts in his hands and lifted them up over her stomach. Lorelai raised her arms in compliance, allowing him to strip them over her head. When he tossed them aside, she gave her hair a little shake to settle it back into place, and he smiled. "I'm gonna mess it up," he said in a low, silken voice.

"Please do."

He reached for the button on her pants and whispered, "Please tell me that you haven't done laundry yet."

Lorelai smiled as he watched his fingers draw the zipper slowly down. "Sorry," she said in a breathy voice.

"Damn," he muttered as he saw the top of her leopard print panties. He looked up at her with a sheepish smile and said, "You have no idea what that did to me."

Lorelai smiled her delight at his admission. She kissed him teasingly and then whispered, "Tell me."

"I don't kiss and tell," he answered with a smirk as he allowed the tip of one finger to skim the elastic of her panties.

"Did you think about me?" Lorelai asked as she began to work her pants down over her hips, swaying side to side enticingly.

"All day. All night," Luke added gruffly as he stepped back, holding her arm to steady her as she toed off her sneakers and stripped off her pants and socks.

"Good," Lorelai said, flashing a thousand watt smile at him as she kicked them aside. She glanced behind her at the single bed with its rumpled sheets and blankets pushed aside. She lowered herself to the bed and stretched out, her dark hair fanning over his pillow as she posed a little and stared up at him expectantly. "I hope you'll be able to get past the disappointment," she teased.

Luke hesitated for a moment, drinking in the sight of her on his bed clad in nothing but a white lace bra and silky animal print panties. Luke blinked and held up one finger as he asked, "I am awake, right?"

Lorelai smirked as she eyed the obvious tent in his sweats and said, "You sure appear to be."

"Thank God," he growled as he dove for her, crushing her under his weight as he covered her, and pressing hot wet kisses to her neck before seeking her lips and claiming them as his own.

"Tell me what you thought about," Lorelai asked moments later, running her hands through his hair as he kissed his way down her throat.

"That day or every day?" he asked with a chuckle. He drew the tender flesh into his mouth and sucked hard, forcing himself to stop just short of marking her skin.

Lorelai smiled as she ran her hands over his shoulders and back, tugging his shirt up as she gathered it in her fingers. Luke grunted and pushed back, yanking the shirt over his head impatiently and tossing it to the other side of the room. He quickly lowered himself onto her again, groaning as his skin met hers.

"That day," Lorelai whispered as he pressed a trail of kisses along the strap of her bra and down across the tops of her breasts. She bowed up off of the bed, urging him to take more.

Luke reached beneath her and unhooked her bra. He brushed the straps down her arms and looked down as he peeled the lacy fabric from her. He exhaled in a rush of hot breath as her rose tipped breasts were revealed to him. He swallowed hard and then said in a gravelly voice, "You had a skirt on, but no underwear. What do you think I thought about?"

Lorelai moaned as he cupped her breasts in both hands and squeezed them gently. He covered them with the palms of his hands, feeling her nipples press into them as he pushed her breasts together, memorizing the very shape and feel of them. "You wanted me," Lorelai stated softly.

"God, yes," Luke answered as he lowered his lips to one hardened peak and drew it into his mouth.

"Did you want me right then, right there?" Lorelai panted, threading her fingers through the curls at the nape of his neck. She moaned as his rough stubble abraded her tender skin. He suckled her greedily, his tongue soothing the beaded tip of her, this teeth teasing it mercilessly. Lorelai's hips bucked as she panted, "Here, now."

"God, yes," Luke murmured as he moved to the other breast and began the delicious torture all over again. He ground against her leg, mindlessly thrusting against her as he ached for her to touch him. He slid one hand down to her hip, and let his fingers lay along the leg of her panties. He slipped one finger under the elastic, and Lorelai moaned, pushing up at him wantonly as he sucked her harder. He could feel her heat before he grazed the mound of her sex, and groaned against her, the vibrating shooting through to the very core of her and sending another rush of desire flooding through her veins.

"Please," she whispered as he brushed teasingly over her curls, thrusting desperately at his hand.

Luke curled his finger into the fabric as he released her breast with a pop. He sat back, his breathing ragged as he grasped the other side of the panties and pulled them roughly down over her hips. "You make me crazy," he said softly.

"I know. I know. I'm everything that you hate most in this world," she admitted.

"And then some," Luke chuckled as he pulled the scrap of fabric from her legs.

"But don't hate me," she asked, her voice a soft plea.

Luke laughed as he pushed his sweats down over his hips, revealing his straining erection. "I can't. Believe me, I've tried."

"I don't want you to hate me. I want you to lo…" she trailed off, catching herself at the last moment.

Luke smiled to himself as he shed his pants and then knelt between her parted thighs. He ran his hands over her creamy flesh, massaging the taut muscles with his fingers as he stroked higher and higher. "That's so much easier for me to do," he admitted quietly.

"Good," Lorelai said with a satisfied smile. Her eyelids grew heavy as his fingers brushed higher and higher, tenderly caressing her velvet soft skin, brushing against her soft, damp curls with each stroke. "Do you want me to beg?" she asked at last, closing her eyes as she gave in to the hypnotic sensation of his callused hands on her hyper-sensitive skin.

"No," he said softly.

Lorelai licked her lips in anticipation. "I will, you know," she offered.

"No need," he assured her as he teased her folds with the tip on one finger. Lorelai moaned and parted her legs further, rising to meet each feather soft touch. He bit his lower lip as he parted her, feeling the warm, wet flesh envelop his finger. A deep groan escaped his lips as he circled her clit and then trailed his finger back down to her entrance, feeling her undulate against him, temptingly soft and torturously ready for him.

Luke leaned forward, pushing his finger into her, and Lorelai cried out softly with relief. She began to circle her hips, grinding against his curled fingers with each thrust, her lips parted as she gasped for air. Luke pulled out of her with a grunt of frustration, and Lorelai's eyes flew open.

"What?" she asked, her voice edged in desperation. Luke lifted his finger to his lips and tasted the sweet moisture there. Lorelai's eyes widened with arousal as she watched him suck her juices from his own finger. "Luke."

"All this and more," he promised as he leaned forward, positioned himself between her thighs. "Next time, so much more," he pledged hoarsely.

"Next time," she assured him as she reached down and cupped his ass, drawing him closer until the tip of his cock pressed into her.

Luke slipped his arms under her, gathering her close to him as he surged forward, sheathing himself in her heat. "Lorelai," he whispered in her ear, his voice stripped raw.

"S'okay," she whispered as she slid one hand up his back, and stroked him soothingly.

Luke began to move slowly, each thrust shadowing her silken hand as it traveled up and down his spine. Luke pushed up onto his elbows and kissed her sweetly, his breath mingling with hers as their lips clung to one another's. He rose up, staring down at her intently as he began to move faster. He watched as ripple after ripple of pleasure played over her face, he saw her lips form soft sounds of appreciation as he stroked her deeper and deeper. When her breath hitched, he lowered his lips to her throat, releasing it with a soft kiss as she pressed back into his pillow. Her hands tightened on his back and his ass, her nails biting into his skin as she urged him on, nonsensical words tumbling from her red lips as he drove her up.

Luke couldn't take his eyes off of her, half afraid that she would disappear, the other half petrified that he would miss a moment of it all. He focused all of his energy on her face, steadfastly ignoring the urgent pull of her body, clenching him tighter, and pulling him deeper. She gasped as he lifted his hips, driving into her from above, his shaft stroking her clit with each powerful thrust of his hips.

"Luke," she whispered urgently, her voice cracking as she drew his name out.

"Oh," he breathed in awareness, as his control began to slip.

Lorelai cried out again as her climax engulfed her, drowning her in wave after wave of heady bliss as her bones melted in the heat of the moment. Luke stared at her, transfixed. Shocked to find that it was all real, stunned that it was his name that fell from her lips, astounded by the fact that at that moment he was buried deep inside of Lorelai Gilmore. He slowed, trying to fight off the inevitable, struggling to hold himself at bay just a little while longer. Lorelai moaned and wrapped her long legs around his hips, opening herself up further with each thrust. "Luke," she murmured in a voice drenched in emotion.

He closed his eyes, fighting back the urge to weep in frustration as he felt his orgasm rushing in. "No."

"Yes," Lorelai purred triumphantly.

"No," he breathed, and then thrust faster. He emptied himself into her as he chanted, "Yes, yes, oh, yes."

"Uh huh," Lorelai moaned, as he filled her, surging into her hard and hot, over and over again, completely lost in her. "Oh, yes," she sighed as she soothed him with her hands and tiny kisses pressed to his stubbly chin. She tugged lightly at the tuft of beard beneath his lip, catching it between hers and growling playfully in her throat.

Luke gasped a laugh and dropped his forehead to hers as he panted, "Hurts."

"So good," she answered with a smug smile. "Hurts so good, baby."

His lips grazed hers as he tried to catch his breath. He tired to lift his weight from her, but Lorelai resisted, banding him to her with her arms and legs. "Crush you," he murmured.

"I've got a crush on you too," she said with a giddy smile.

Luke chuckled soundlessly, his abs contracting against her as he shook his head helplessly. He rained tender kisses of gratitude over her cheek and brow, punctuating them with a soft kiss to the tip of her nose.

Lorelai loosened her hold on him, realizing instinctively that he wasn't about to go far. Luke pulled back and then rolled onto his side, looking at her with drowsy navy blue eyes as he ran his hand over her stomach, oh-so-casually brushing the underside of her breast, and favoring her with a slow, wicked smile.

Lorelai scooted onto her side to face him and draped one leg over his. "You're pretty," she whispered.

Luke shook his head and mumbled, "You are."

"You think?" she asked, preening a bit.

Luke barked a laugh and said, "Nah."

"Luke," she chastised as she took a playful swat at his muscular chest. The strike proved completely ineffective when she smoothed her hand over the softly curling hair and hummed appreciatively. She caught Luke's amuse glance and smiled impishly, her eyes dancing with delight.

"Beautiful," he said softly.

Lorelai leaned in and kissed him with a spark of fire that managed to stun them both in its intensity. Luke chuckled as she pulled back, blinking in surprise. "We'll have to watch that," he said, his voice deep and throaty.

"Yeah," she agreed, a little awed by the power of a simple kiss. "Kissing is dangerous."

Luke nodded, his face solemn as he said, "Don't leave her alone with him anymore."

Lorelai smiled as she ran her fingertips over his brow, smoothing away the furrow of worry there. "Most kisses aren't like that," she said softly.

"Just in case," he insisted.

"Just in case," she agreed. Lorelai sighed as her eyes followed her fingers as they trailed down to his stomach, toying with the line of hair that led to points of great interest below. "I have to go home," she said regretfully.

"I'll take you," Luke said with an understanding nod.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "I wanna leave you here, like this."

"I'm not staying here while you walk home alone," he grumbled.

"You're all warm and rumpled and sweet. I like you like this."

"Well, hopefully you'll see me like this again," he said cautiously.

"Oh, I will," she assured him. "I just, if you drive me home, I don't know if Rory is asleep or not or who would see us," she worried aloud.

"Oh," Luke said softly, unable to mask the hurt in his voice.

"It's not that, it's just that, I, uh, I kinda sneaked out of the house to come over here," she confessed.

"Lorelai," he groaned.

"Well, what was I supposed to say? 'Hey, hon, I'm gonna run by Luke's and kiss him again, just to see if that was all real?'" she scoffed.

"I guess not," he conceded. Luke lifted his eyes to hers and said, "It's real for me."

Lorelai smiled and pecked a quick, safe kiss to his lips before she sat up. "I think we've proved that it's pretty real for both of us."

"I could walk you home," he said as he sat up a little too quickly.

Lorelai smiled as she saw him waver a bit. "Head rush?"

"Too much blood diverted," Luke said gruffly as he swung his legs off of the bed.

"Stay here," Lorelai urged. She located her panties and slipped them back on.

"And go to sleep not knowing if you made it home or not?" he asked with a snort.

"It's Stars Hollow," she said with a laugh.

"It's not gonna happen," Luke growled as he pulled a pair of underwear from his dresser drawer.

Lorelai gasped as he stepped into them. "You were totally going commando and I was too distracted to notice!" she said accusingly.

Luke snatched the jeans he had worn that day from the hamper and began to pull them on. "I was in my pajamas, Lorelai."

"Aw, man, now I know that you sleep with no underwear on! I'm never gonna sleep again," she said with a teasing smile.

"Yes, I'm sure that I have that effect on you," Luke said dryly as he buttoned the fly on his jeans.

"Mmm, button fly. Good information to have," Lorelai commented as she settled her bra straps back on her shoulders.

"Yeah, file that for future reference," he answered with a smirk.

"I will," she told him as she yanked both of her shirts over her head and forced the sleeves right side out with her balled fists.

Luke sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on a pair of worn running shoes without socks. Lorelai paused, holding her pants in front of her as she watched the muscles in his back flex as he bent down to tie the laces. He sat back with a sigh, rubbing his palms over his thighs as he pushed up from the bed and went in search of his shirt. He found it ten feet away behind the coffee table and scooped it up off of the floor. When he turned back to her, he saw Lorelai still watching him with her pants fisted in her hands. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

Lorelai took a deep breath and said, "Luke, you can tell anyone that you want that you kissed me. I plan on telling everyone," she finished with a nervous smile.

"Okay," he said with a slow nod.

"I'm not telling them that I threw myself at you, though. This is all gonna be on you, buddy," she said as she pointed at him sternly.

"I can live with that," he said as he shrugged into his shirt. "Put your pants on. It's bad enough that you didn't wear a coat."

Lorelai grinned and dragged her pants behind her as she walked toward him, swaying her hips in an exaggerated strut as she approached him with a devilish smile. She stopped a foot in front of him and glanced down at her bare legs. She looked up at him through her lashes and tugged at the collar of his shirt, pulling him down for a kiss. When they parted, Lorelai whispered, "Better without the underwear. It's kinda nice, actually. Breezy."


	21. Toeing the Line Between Heaven & Hell

**A/N: A few naughty girls wanted some angry sex. It may not be pretty, but here it is.**

**Toeing the Line Between Heaven and Hell**

Images of a shirtless Kirk break dancing flashed on the big screen as Lorelai turned to Rory with a grin. "This is so disturbing," Rory murmured; her eyes glued to the screen.

"I know, isn't it great?"

"Where did Sookie go?"

"She went to find Jackson; she didn't want him to miss this. We're showing this again after the movie," Lorelai whispered.

"I'll never be able to watch The Yearling again," Rory said sadly. She leaned over a little closer to Lorelai and asked, "Hey, do you mind if I go sit with Lane?"

"Oh, no, go ahead," Lorelai said with a wave of her hand.

Rory glanced at the empty seat next to her and asked, "Sookie is coming back, isn't she?"

"Yeah, it's fine, she'll be right back," Lorelai assured her, clapping as the short film ended. She and Rory both glanced up as Patty got up and walked over to them.

"I did the choreography," the older woman said proudly.

"Mmm," Lorelai hummed in what she hoped was an appreciative tone as she and Rory shared a glance.

"Patty, doll, come here!" Babette called from behind them.

"I'll see you later," Patty said with a wave as she drifted away with a swirl of her caftan.

"Bye Patty," Lorelai called after her. She turned to Rory and asked, "So, how are you feeling?"

"Haunted by the sight of Kirk's bare chest," Rory said in a bewildered tone.

"No!" Patty gasped loudly, capturing their attention.

"I swear to God!" Babette rasped.

"When?" Patty demanded.

"Last night, not long after the accident happened, Luke walked him straight to the bus station, stuck the kid on a bus, sent him home to his mom," Babette answered.

"I can't believe Luke would send him off like that," Patty said in a loud, scandalized whisper.

"Well, I heard the kid wanted to go. I don't know. All I know is that Jess is gone," Babette finished with a nod.

"Well, well, well. What will we do for entertainment around here?" Patty asked.

"Beats the hell outta me," Babette said, sounding a little dejected.

Lorelai spared Rory a quick glance out of the corner of her eye as the movie started to roll on the big screen. Rory's eyes were downcast, fixed on the bright blue cast on her arm. She turned and said in a low voice, "I'm sure it's just for the weekend. Just until things cool down."

Rory nodded mutely and then pressed her lips together firmly. She swallowed hard and then whispered, "I'm going to go find Lane," as she scooted from her seat and hurried away.

Lorelai sighed but kept her eyes fixed on the screen as she tugged nervously at a button her coat. As the opening credits rolled, she turned in her seat and looked around, trying to spot Sookie. Instead, her gaze fixed on the dim glow of light visible from the diner. Without thinking she stood up, gathered the coat close around her, holding it closed as she scooted out of the row and walked down the center aisle. She managed to smile and nod to a few people as she made her way toward the concession stand set up in the back, but just shy of the end of the line, she veered left and took off across the square.

When she reached the diner door, Lorelai cupped a hand and peered through the glass. She saw no movement within, but when she reached for the door handle, it was unlocked. The bells jingled as she stepped inside. Lorelai closed the door quietly behind her and turned the lock, hoping that they could sort things out without being disturbed. She stood in the empty diner, wringing her hands as she tried to decide her next move. Chewing the inside of her cheek, she thought the better of what she was doing, whirled around and reached for the lock just as Luke stepped out of the back calling, "We're closed."

He stopped short in the doorway, the curtain swishing behind him as it fell back into place. Lorelai turned and gave him a small quick smile as she said, "Uh, hi, Luke."

"I'm closed," he repeated, crossing his arms over his chest, his feet planted in a wide stance as he stared at her. He took a deep breath and steeled himself against the pull of her blue eyes.

"I, um, I didn't want coffee," she said quietly.

Luke's eyebrows rose, but he didn't soften his stance as he said, "That's a first."

"Luke," she began, taking a cautious step toward him.

He shook his head and held up one hand to stop her. "I'm tired, Lorelai. And closed, go home."

"I need to talk to you," she said as she took another step toward him.

"You don't want to talk to me right now," he said gruffly. His fingers curled into the sleeves of his flannel as he tried to keep from flying off the handle.

"But I want to…" she started to say as she approached him.

"No, I don't want to go another round with you, Lorelai. Not now," he said as he turned on his heel and pushed through the curtain once more.

Lorelai followed him. "If you would just listen to me for a second," she called.

"I heard you! I heard you loud and clear!" he roared. Lorelai took a step back, her hand involuntarily pressing to her heart as she blinked in surprise. "You wanted me to go to hell, well, you got it!"

"Luke, no," she said as she reached for his arm.

Luke threw his hands up, knocking her hand away as he stepped back. Her eyes widened further, and then she visibly flinched as she watched him clench his fingers into a fist. His brow knit in confusion as he stared at her and then glanced up at his right hand. He lowered it slowly, his eyes following it down until he turned back to her, his face blank. "You think I would hit you?" he demanded in a harsh voice.

"No!"

"Go. Get out, Lorelai!"

"Luke, no, I didn't think that you would do that," she said imploringly.

"You never know what I'll do, right?" he asked bitterly. "I don't give a damn about you or Rory, right?"

"You do! I know you do," she shouted back. "I know that you sent Jess away!"

"Yeah, you should be happy, huh?" Luke spat. "Are you happy, Lorelai? I sent him back to Liz and those punks he ran with. I sent him back to no one knowing or caring what he does or what happens to him."

"No, I'm not happy!" she cried.

"It's what you wanted, right?" he asked, stepping closer to her, his eyes blazing. "You got what you wanted. You always get what you want!"

"I do, not!" Lorelai yelled, forcing herself not to stamp her foot in frustration. "I didn't come here to fight with you; I came here to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you," he snapped.

"But, I need to explain!"

"There's nothing to explain. You wanted him gone, he's gone. You wanted me to go to hell, well, I don't need to go there, I'm already there!" he shouted, spittle flying from his lips as his chest heaved with suppressed emotion. Lorelai took an involuntary step back as he advanced on her. "I always do what you want me to do! Paint the diner, Luke. I'll help. Oh no, I won't because I'm off with some other guy!" he mocked mercilessly. "You need a bigger apartment. I bought a goddamn building! Did that make you happy, Lorelai?" he ranted. "You wanted him gone? I put him on a bus. You should be dancing a jig right now," he said, his voice dripping with venom.

"That's not what I want!"

"Ask yourself why, Lorelai," Luke demanded.

"What?"

"Ask yourself, 'Why does Luke always do what I tell him to do?' Ask yourself why I'm so angry right now that I could spit nails. Ask yourself why I haven't put my fist through that wall. Hell, I'll give you that one. It's plaster, a lot harder than drywall. I wouldn't put a dent in it, but I'd probably bust a couple of knuckles," he said snidely.

"Okay, yes, we had a fight, and it was bad, okay?" Lorelai said, cutting him off. "But it was a fight, Luke. We were both upset, we were both angry, we both said things that we didn't mean," she said stubbornly.

"Did we? I don't remember saying anything I didn't mean," Luke snarled. "I asked if anyone was hurt, I asked where Jess was. I asked you if this was my fault and you said it was," he reminded her. "I told you that I had an obligation to care for my nephew, but you told me that my obligation to the town, to you and to Rory was more important. Did you not mean that, because I thought that you did, it sure sounded like you did!" he yelled.

"I was upset!"

"So was I!"

"I know that!" Lorelai took a shaky breath and lowered her voice. "I do. I'm sorry," she said pleadingly. "We were both upset, and I was taking everything out on you," she admitted quietly.

Luke pressed his lips together in a firm line, and stared at her hard, forcing himself not to back down. He schooled his features, forcing the tight muscles in his jaw to unclench. "So, what do you want me to do now, Lorelai?" he asked, trying to maintain control. "Tell me what you want, and I'll do it. That's what I do."

"I don't want you to hate me," she said desperately.

"I don't hate you," he answered automatically.

"You're acting like you do," she said skeptically.

Luke shrugged and said, "It's a fine line, right?"

"What?"

"I don't hate you," Luke said plainly. "I'm just saying that I'm not ready to talk to you about this."

"But I want to talk. I think we should talk," she insisted.

"What about what I want, Lorelai? When do I get what I want?" he asked, suddenly angry again.

"What do you want?" Lorelai cried in frustration.

"It doesn't matter," he shouted, waving his arm wildly.

"Yes, it does."

"No, Lorelai, it doesn't," he said firmly, the muscle in his jaw working as he clamped his mouth shut, trying to keep from saying too much. He tried to step around her, but she moved quickly to block his path.

"It matters to me," Lorelai told him as she reached out and grabbed both of his arms to still him.

Luke stared down at her hands and then slowly lifted his eyes to hers. "You really want to know what I want?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes," she said, nodding emphatically.

"I want to be able to hurt you like you hurt me," Luke said in a low voice.

"Hurt me?" Lorelai asked in a stunned voice. She searched his eyes, trying to figure out what he could possibly mean.

"I want to have that kind of power over you. Just once," he said, shaking off her hand and holding up one finger for emphasis.

"Power?" Lorelai's brow furrowed as she tried to take a step back from him.

Luke reached out and grabbed her wrists, holding them up between them. "Just once, I want you to want what I want," he said in a deep raspy voice. "I want…"

Lorelai's eyes dropped to his mouth, watching as the words tumbled from his lips. Awareness burned through her. He never stood this close. The heat from his body radiated in waves, pulsing against her, seeping through her clothes. His breath was hot and his teeth flashed white as he bit off those last words. She blinked rapidly, willing her mind to catch up, but her mouth beat her to the punch. "It's a fine line between what, Luke?" she whispered.

Luke's fingers relaxed slightly, and then he released her. "I don't hate you, Lorelai." He looked at her, his eyes probing hers mercilessly, searching for an answer. "I just want to know when I get to have what I want," he said hoarsely.

Lorelai gazed into his stormy blue eyes and reached up to smooth the line that bisected his eyebrows with the pad of her finger, wishing she could erase the past 24 hours as easily. His breath came in soft puffs, as if he were afraid to fully fill his lungs. She stared at his mouth for a moment, fighting to keep from pressing that magical fingertip to his lips to see if they were as soft as they looked. "I don't wanna fight," she murmured.

"Me either."

Lorelai looked up into his eyes again and whispered, "Don't hate me."

"I don't. That's my problem," Luke said with a self-deprecating smirk. He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her hard. Lorelai's startled cry was captured by his mouth. His lips moved against hers, firm and unyielding, as he waited for either a skirmish or her surrender. The only thing he knew for sure was that it was time. They needed to pick one side of the line and stay there. Permanently.

Lorelai staggered back when he released her. He set her away from him, steadying her on her feet before dropping his hands to his sides. He stared at her directly, offering no apology for what he had just done; simply waiting for her verdict. When she said nothing, Luke ducked his head and asked, "What's it gonna be? Love or hate?"

Lorelai blinked rapidly in an effort to clear her mind, staring at him with a mixture of disbelief and stunned appreciation. When he looked up once more, Lorelai whispered, "I don't want you to hate me."

Luke nodded slowly. "I kind of do right now," he admitted. "Not as much as I…" he trailed off, looking up the wooden staircase as if plotting his escape.

"As much as you?" she asked leadingly.

"I sent him away for you. I sent him away because you wanted me to," Luke said with a shrug.

"I get the hate part," Lorelai said softly.

Luke shook his head and said, "No, that was the other side of that line."

Lorelai caught her bottom lip between her teeth and looked away, trying to figure out why his vulnerability scared her more than his anger. Trying to get back on familiar ground, she pressed one hand to the front of his shirt, toying with a button as she looked up at him coyly and asked, "I really have that kind of power?"

Luke gaped at her, incredulous. "Don't toy with me, Lorelai," he warned, the anger bubbling up inside of him again.

Comforted by his sudden shift in temper, Lorelai teasingly slipped the button through its hole and asked, "Why? What are you gonna do about it?"

"Go home," he said in a rough voice. "I'm done here."

Lorelai looked up at him and then lowered her eyes to his mouth as she asked, "And if I don't? What if I say we're not done?" she asked in a challenging tone.

Luke reached for her again. He pulled her against him, his hands wrapping around her upper arms, his fingers digging through layers of clothing and into her flesh. "Why are you doing this to me?" he asked, giving her a little shake before attempting to step away from her.

"I'm just walking the line," she replied innocently, grabbing the front of his shirt and brushing her lips over his in a fleeting kiss, effectively halting his retreat.

But she was wrong. Lorelai had crossed that line one too many times. Luke crushed her lips to his, pushing her head back with the force of his kiss. She moaned softly and parted her lips in an invitation for him to take. Luke didn't bother to think about why or how, he just took what she offered. His tongue tangled with hers as she brushed the cap from his head. He took the kiss deeper as his hands curled into the lapels of her coat and fisting them into his palms as he angled his head, hungry for more of her. He lifted the fabric up and slid the coat back, jerking the soft suede down over her shoulders as he spun her around, pinning her arms to her sides with her coat and her back against the wall with his body.

He lifted his head, and stared down at her. "Yes," she whispered without opening her eyes.

It was then that he realized too late that once again he was giving her just what she wanted. The fine line between love and hate blurred into that even thinner line between friendship and desire. That line that he had been toeing for the last half of a decade. He was crossing that line. Hell, he was leaping over it. And she simply stood still. He stepped back, his eyes fixed on her.

Lorelai kept her eyes closed, pressing her head against the wall, barely breathing as she waited. It was then that she realized with stunning clarity that she had always waited for this day to come. And now it was here, and it was nothing like she ever imagined it would be. There was no gruff, sweet invitation to dinner. There were no shy glances across a tiny table as they tried to figure out how it was supposed to go from there. No awkward kiss goodnight, to tasting, testing or trying it on to see if it fit, if they fit.

Her stomach churned. Anger and hurt mixed with fear, curiosity and raw desire in a lethal cocktail that made her feel drunk. Everything was spinning out of control; as if she had no choice. Logically, she knew that wasn't true. She could push past him right now, and he'd let her go. He'd wanted her to go. He tried to make her go before something happened. Something just like this. _Love me, hate me. If I let him love me, will he end up hating me?_ she wondered. Lorelai opened her eyes, her lashes slowly sweeping up until at last they revealed startlingly bright blue eyes. She stared back at him unblinkingly, trying to gauge how far she had pushed already, as a part of her itching to push a little bit more. His chest rose and fell as if he had just run a marathon, but his face was calm, a perfectly impassive mask that she now realized he wore just for her.

She cocked her head, a tiny frown creasing her brow as she tried to puzzle out exactly what to do next. _Break it down,_ she told herself. _Am I mad at Luke? No, well, yeah, but mostly because he's angry with me. It does hurt,_ she could admit. _It hurts that my baby was hurt. It hurts to know that I hurt him. It even hurt that he had sent Jess away. Well, it hurt to know that she was the reason he sent Jess away,_ she amended. Luke took a small step back and raised his hands as if signaling to her that he would do her no harm. _Am I scared of Luke? No. Never. Do I want Luke?_ she asked herself. Her gaze fell to the pale pink lips that, moments before, had been on hers. Then they had been hot and demanding, now they were drawn in a thin resolute line. She lifted her hand, itching to touch them. She wanted to use that magic finger to brush over them and force them to relax. She wanted to taste them, just once, soft, full and sweet. _Yes._

Lorelai tipped her chin up and raised her eyes to his. But what she found there did scare her. The heat of his anger no longer blazed in their dark blue depths. She searched them, looking for something, anything, even the glint of ice, but she found nothing. He stared back at her impassively, his eyes mirroring the blank canvas of his face as even his hands hung limp at his sides. If she didn't know him at all, she would say that he actually looked relaxed. But she did know him, and the fact that he was even attempting to pretend that this had not just happened set her blood to boil.

"Chicken out?" she asked as she raised one eyebrow.

"What?"

"Did you chicken out?" she repeated slowly. When he didn't respond right away, Lorelai gave him a knowing smirk and added, "Again."

A muscle jumped in his jaw, and Lorelai's lips curved into a small smile of victory as she marked a direct hit. She pulled away from the wall a bit and let her coat slide down her arms and onto the floor. She held her arms out to her sides and said challengingly, "This is what you want, right? Just remember, it's not my fault if you don't take it."

For once in his life, Luke Danes didn't think, he acted. He stepped into her, pushing her back again, trapping her soft body pressed between the solid heat of his and the cool, hard wall. His teeth hit hers as he took possession of her mouth in a punishing kiss. His hands were on her, holding her waist firmly, sliding up over her ribcage, pushing her breasts up as he filled his palms with her, his callused hands rasping against the cotton of her shirt. Lorelai's tongue swirled around his as her hands pulled frantically at the back of his shirts, yanking the t-shirt he wore beneath the ubiquitous flannel free from his jeans. As he pressed hot, angry kisses to her neck, she raked her nails over his back, raising equally angry red welts in their wake. He sucked hard, marking her delicate skin as he squeezed her breasts. Lorelai plunged her hands into the waistband of his jeans. Her nails scraped against the cotton of his boxer briefs as she squeezed his ass, grinding against the hard bulge in his jeans. He found the hem of her shirt and yanked it up, seeking the smooth, warm skin beneath as she pushed him back. He staggered slightly, but Lorelai caught him, curling her fingers around the buckle of his belt, and then began to pull the tab free from the loops. Once the buckle hung loose, she opened the top button and looked up at him boldly as she stepped out of her shoes.

Luke abandoned his exploration of her skin and immediately reached for her jeans. He opened them with fingers trembling with adrenaline, yanking the zipper down roughly and then digging his thumbs into the waistband to push them down. Lorelai reached into his briefs, her fingers curling around the prize she sought as she moaned softly in appreciation. While she stroked him, she helped his shove her snug jeans and panties down over her hips with her other hand, shifting her legs to help work them down over her thighs. With a grunt of frustration, Lorelai pulled her hand from his pants and then shoved her jeans down, pushing them off of one foot, and leaving them twisted around her other ankle. Luke pushed his own jeans and underwear down and then caught her thigh as she lifted her bare leg onto his hip. He bent his knees as Lorelai guided the tip of his cock to her damp folds, and then pressed her head back against the wall, watching him through heavy lidded eyes as she wet her lips in anticipation.

Luke pushed up, closing his eyes as he met brief resistance and then slowly sank into her. "Jesus," he rasped, and then pushed harder, sheathing himself in her heat.

He covered her ass with his hand and squeezed it hard, signaling to her to lift her other leg. Lorelai hopped slightly and he caught her, bracing his hands beneath her thighs and lifting her up against the wall as he surged forward. She moaned loudly, fisting one hand in his hair as the other grasped at his shirt, bunching it in her fist as he thrust into her hard and fast.

"Oh yes, yes," she whispered. Luke spread his fingers, pulling her apart as he pounded into her blindly, pushing her against the wall and then pulling her down on him harder and harder. "Oh God, Luke!" she gasped.

Fueled by her words, he drove her up, surging into her heat as she tightened around him, squeezing him tighter and tighter. When she cried out her release, he sought his own with a strangled groan. She enveloped him, pulling him deeper and deeper as he shot into her. He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as her muscles contracted around him, milking him for everything he had.

His breath rushed past her ear as they slowed. Her hair tickled his nose, and their bodies pulsing in time with their labored breathing, as Luke found himself trapped somewhere between heaven and hell. He swallowed hard, trying to force some moisture down his parched throat as he bent his knees and slowly lowered her legs to the floor. He held her steady for a moment and then winced as he pulled away from her, yanking his briefs and jeans up quickly. He looked away as he tugged his zipper up, not allowing himself to think about his cock still sticky and wet with her juices pressing against his stomach. He looked up at last and ran a tired hand over his face, tugging lightly at his bottom lip as Lorelai stared back at him apprehensively.

Luke wet his lips and then said in a soft, raspy voice, "The, uh, key is up over the doorframe, if you don't mind locking the door." When Lorelai's jaw dropped in shock, he shook his head slightly and lifted his chin as he planted his hands on his hips. "I'm bringing him back, whether you like it or not."

"Fine," she managed to whisper as she hurriedly bent down and tried to straighten her jeans and panties.

Luke raised his foot to the bottom step and watched as she shoved her leg into her pants. She hopped around a little, pulling them up hurriedly; her hair hiding her face from him as she fumbled with the tab of her zipper. "Lorelai," he said quietly, causing her to jerk her head up. He glanced away and then swallowed the lump in his throat. "If you think that this was what I wanted," he began in a voice hoarse with emotion, and then stopped, shaking his head slowly. Luke cleared his throat as she flipped her hair back and looked up at him her eyes bright with unshed tears. He took a ragged breath and then said, "If you think that this was all I wanted, then you don't know me at all."

Lorelai watched as he turned and walked tiredly up the old wood paneled staircase without looking back. Lorelai's heart ached, knowing that all he would find at the top was an empty apartment. When she heard the door close with a restrained click, she looked down at her hand on her zipper, and then quickly buttoned her jeans. She began to shove her feet into her shoes as she bent to retrieve her coat, but froze as she spied the blue baseball cap he always wore hidden in a shadowy corner. Pulling her foot from her shoe, her own coat forgotten, Lorelai reached for it, brushing her fingers over the brim to chase the dust away as she sank down onto the second step. She ran the brim through her fingers, tugging at the edges of it to shape it as she had seen Luke do countless times before, and studied the gift she had given him seemingly a lifetime ago. She frowned as she realized that it had only been just over a year since she handed him that early Christmas present, and then it dawned on her that it probably seemed much longer because he hadn't worn another hat since.

It was clean but stained; a little worn around the edges, like the man himself. She flipped it over and stared at the hatband; darkened by the sweat from hours of wear and work. She traced her fingernail along a string of grease stains that patterned the back of the hat and wondered idly if the hot oil had burned his face, if he had cussed, and if the pain brought tears to his eyes like the ones that were now filling hers.

_The problem wasn't that I don't know him, it was that I do. And, Luke is like this hat. He liked things that would last. _She looked up at the aged wood paneled staircase, and then back down at the well worn treads. Thousands of times his boots had clunked up these stairs, and they had never once let him down. Hundreds of times, he had placed this cap on his head, and it always did its job. _Why was it not until that night that she realized what it meant to him?_ she wondered. _Would it still mean as much to him tomorrow?_ But deep down inside of her she knew the answer to that. Luke wasn't Christopher, or even Max, easily satisfied with a quick trip to paradise. He wouldn't be distracted by the bright shiny apple she offered in lieu of her heart. He would rather have nothing if he couldn't have it all.

Lorelai turned and looked at the top of the stairs, knowing that the following morning he would walk back down these steps, a hat firmly attached to his head, and flip the sign on the door to open. _Would it be this hat?_ she asked herself as she turned it again, running her fingers over the brim. The only thing that she knew for certain was that she wanted it to be. She looked at the top of the stairs again, a sudden panic seizing her heart as she realized that he could have dozens of hats stashed up there. Hats of all shapes and colors. Hats with unknown origins, perhaps chosen with more care and consideration than she put into the two minutes it took to pick this one.

Lorelai pushed to her feet, and ignoring her shoes and coat, turned to pad up the steps in her stocking feet. When she reached the frosted glass door, she didn't stop to knock, figuring that they were a little beyond that now. Instead, she drew a deep breath and turned the handle silently. Luke leaned up against the counter next to the fridge, one arm crossed protectively over his chest, gripping his bicep as a bottle of beer dangled at his side. He looked up, and then immediately dropped his gaze to the scuffed toes of his boots, a rush of shame flushing his cheeks with color.

Lorelai crossed the small room and stopped in front of him, planting one foot on either side of his as she held out the hat as a peace offering. Luke slowly unfolded his arms and carefully took it from her without touching her. "Thanks," he said gruffly.

Lorelai nodded, but didn't move away. She stared at him, willing him to look up. When he finally raised his head, she placed one hand gently on his cheek, feeling the rasp of his stubble as he unconsciously leaned into her touch.

"I know you," she said softly. Luke lifted his eyes to hers, and she found that all semblance of pretense was now stripped away. Everything he felt, everything he wanted, everything he was afraid he had lost forever was right there, in his tormented eyes. "I know you better than I know myself."

And with that, she leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. His lips were soft, full and sweet, everything she ever imagined they would be. She closed her eyes, falling into him as she lost herself in kiss after kiss, and realizing that they had finally crossed that line between heaven and hell. She clung to him, refusing to pull away by even a fraction of an inch; reveling in the sweet taste of his lips on hers. She kissed him, not too hard, not too soft; unwilling to relinquish the moment when he wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her close. She kissed him with everything she had, offering up a silent prayer for redemption and perhaps one more shot at paradise.


	22. He Rocks Her Socks

**A/N: Well gang, tonight is the night! The Support Stacie Author Auction kicks off at 11:59 PM CST. There's a fantastic list of authors signed up, and I'm sure that any one of them could give you plenty of bang for your buck. Hee! Totally intentional dirty, I know. Even if you can't bid, you can still join in the fun by posting in the threads and engaging in a little good natured trash talk with our friends from Dr. Who - It's a blast! The auction takes place here: ****.?f=101**** and most of us can be found on the second page, since apparently we were a little over-enthusiastic in signing up. Hope to see you there! Now, enjoy your RDA of smut!**

**He Rocks Her Socks**

_The stupid porch light. I have to remember to ask Luke to fix the stupid porch light,_ Lorelai reminded herself as she pulled the key from the ignition and left the Jeep's headlights on. She held the door open with her foot as she grabbed her purse and hurried around the side of the house. She climbed the darkened steps to the back porch, felt for the doorknob to the mud room, and then flipped the switch to shed some light on the back door. Key poised for action, she spied the dryer and hesitated, trying to remember if there was anything lingering in there that she may want to wear for her date that evening.

A smile curved her lips as she stepped into the mud room and pulled the dryer door open. As she pawed through the contents of the dryer, her smile grew. She had a date with Luke in twenty minutes. Her heart skipped a beat and Lorelai had to chuckle at herself as she dismissed the selection of clothing the dryer had to offer. She stood up and glanced down at the clothes she had worn to work that day. _Jeans. I'll just change into some jeans,_ she decided. She stepped toward the door, and then halted. Turning back to the dryer, she opened the door again and pulled out a pair of pink socks. As she unlocked the back door, Lorelai realized that the socks were still damp. She frowned at them as she stood just inside the kitchen and then reached for the knob to turn on the oven. After quickly arranging the socks on the top rack, she then dropped her purse onto the table and made a beeline for the steps.

By the time she reached the top, her dress pants were unzipped, and she was working them down over her hips in an effort to save time. They fell to her knees as she reached the bedroom doorway, and promptly stumbled, her legs tangled in the material. "Okay, stop, strip, walk," she muttered under her breath. She held onto the dresser as she stepped out of her shoes and pants and then hurried to her closet, rifling through the hangers until she found her newest jeans. As she yanked them up over her legs, Lorelai ran through a mental checklist of all the things she needed to get done before Luke appeared in exactly thirteen minutes, as he was sure to do. Luke was always prompt for dates, even though he knew that she wouldn't be.

Lorelai buttoned the jeans as she rushed for the bathroom. She pulled out her arsenal of makeup and went about repairing the ravages of the day. _Dating Luke. Dating Luke was so different from Luke-Luke. Okay, maybe not that different, but different still,_ she reasoned. It was still a little shocking to her. They'd only been together-together for a little over a month, but already it was a radical departure from any man she had ever known. There was none of Christopher's 'I-love-you-I've-gotta-go'. There was no dinner or marriage debate to engage in, like there had been with Max. It was so much more than the casual, 'I'd like to see you sometime' she had gotten from Alex; and Jason, well, that whole thing was just too freaky to even compare to Luke. Luke held her all night long, and she was pretty sure that, even if he had a guest room, she would never have seen the inside of it.

Dating Luke wore sweaters that hugged his chest and arms, or open necked shirts that made her mouth water. Dating Luke left the hat at home, but sometimes wore those faded jeans with the outline of his wallet stamped on the back pocket. Dating Luke always came to her door to get her. Three times a week, sometimes four. Dating Luke slept in her bed when the invitation was extended, which it nearly always was. Dating Luke made room for her in his bed and bought U2 CDs. Dating Luke laughed at her bad jokes, but still rolled his eyes at her antics, just as he always had. Sometimes, Dating Luke forgot himself for a moment and flirted a little too much in the diner the next morning. To Lorelai, that was the mark of a truly successful evening.

All in all, dating Luke was more than she ever dreamed dating Luke Danes would be. He had always had that sweet side, but you had to know to dig for it under the layers of bluff and bluster. Lorelai ran a brush through her dark tresses and then stared into the mirror, clutching her hairbrush to her chest, her heartbeat speeding up as she pictured sleepy, satisfied Luke. Dark blue eyes, heavily lidded, weighted by a fringe of sooty lashes. Soft, wavy brown hair rumpled by her fingers, pressed against the crisp cotton pillowcase. The ever present shadow of whiskers, that she now knew range from one day to three, but never, ever made it to four. She reached up and touched her own soft cheek, closing her eyes as she imagined the rasp of them. A flush of heat flooded those soft cheeks and sent a rush of heightened awareness straight between her legs. Lorelai's eyes flew open and she stared at herself in shock as her body's instantaneous reaction took her breath away. _Who knew I'd fall so hard for Luke Danes? Who knew I'd need him so badly? How could I have seen him every day for years and years and not known how much I would want him? _she asked herself.

It had been five weeks since he has taken her to Sniffy's and scarred her psyche her with the back of the menu. Five weeks since he took her to his bed and made his intentions crystal clear by claiming every inch of her body with is lips, teeth and tongue. Five weeks of that constant aching need growing stronger rather than ebbing quietly away. If she thought too hard about it, Lorelai could admit that it was a little alarming to her. She'd never felt like this. Being with Luke was comfortable, easy, and made her feel surprisingly settled. But at the same time, Lorelai felt like she was poised on the tips of her toes, ready to leap. It was all new to her, all fresh. She'd never slept so well with any man as she does with Luke. Granted, she hadn't really just slept with any guy all that often. And to be fair, they hadn't really managed to simply sleep in the same bed yet. They'd tried once or twice. Or, at least, put up the pretense of trying. But, there was something about the scent of him on her sheets, the feel of his body pressed against hers, the weight of his arm around her. She couldn't do it. She couldn't just drift off to sleep without pressing her bottom against him. She couldn't get comfortable until she snuggled deep into his chest. His fingers had to trace hers, her foot had to rub his leg, and his knee had to slide between hers. His hand would accidentally graze her bare stomach. And she couldn't help but notice that some parts of him would be anything but sleepy.

Honestly, they had the best of intentions. Token arguments about the need to go home to sleep in their own beds were offered. Nods of understanding were doled out like candy. There was feeble talk of boundaries and responsibilities. And then there would be kisses. Those kisses that start slow, soft and sweet; and then heat like coals stoked into flame. Lorelai shook her head, dropped the hairbrush to the vanity top with a clatter and hurried out of the bathroom. A quick peek at the clock told her that she had exactly four minutes left to get her socks, boots and jacket on. She flew down the steps, trying to outrun the burning ember of desire that glowed low and deep in her belly. It was almost too humiliating to admit that after eight years of nothing but friendship, the only man who could turn her into a quivering lump of need was the guy who had been standing there all along, waiting for her to notice.

"Well, I've noticed now," Lorelai muttered as she swung into the kitchen and checked the contents of her purse. She frowned when she didn't see her keys, and then turned to walk back into the living room. She scanned the desktop and the hall table, but came up empty. She turned and checked the end table to no avail, and was just about to plunge her hands into the couch cushions when she heard a knock on the door.

Lorelai glanced down at her bare feet as she pulled the door open and said, "Hey."

"Hey, you back," Luke answered in a soft, affectionate voice. He leaned in to peck a quick kiss to her lips and then asked, "Ready?"

"Almost," Lorelai told him as she led the way back into the living room.

"Almost?"

"I just have to find my keys, and finish the laundry…" she said distractedly as she started rummaging trough a pile of magazine on the coffee table.

"That doesn't sound like almost, that sounds like we're gonna have to speed to the movies, park illegally, you hit the bathroom while I grab the popcorn, we'll meet back at the seats all sweaty and aggravated…"

"Well of course I'll be aggravated, you forgot the Red Vines," she murmured. "No, no keys here," she said as she abandoned the table and moved to the couch.

"You know the lights are on in your Jeep?"

"Oh yeah, the porch light's out and it was dark so I left the Jeep on for the light," she explained. "Could you lift, please?"

Luke lifted the end of the couch while Lorelai looked under it. "But, the battery's going to die."

Lorelai shook her head as she got down on the floor to look closer. "Oh, no, I timed it. It takes 12 hours for the battery to wear out. I go to work at eight o'clock, giving me two hours to spare and a whole day to recharge." She rocked back on her heels. "Not here either. Down, please."

Luke set the couch down and turned to follow her as he asked, "Why don't you just change the porch light?"

"Have you seen how dirty it is up there? With those creepy moths that fly in your face, and you could swallow one, and end up with some weird hand-to-mouth-to-moth disease."

"There's no such thing," he said with a smirk.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Oh, no? Did you see _Mothman Prophecies_?" she challenged.

"Yes."

Lorelai blinked, clearly taken aback by his response. "Oh, well, okay then. Did you see the sequel?"

"There's a sequel?"

"Yes. It is a heartbreaking saga in which Richard Gere gets a life threatening disease from changing a dirty porch light."

"There was no sequel," Luke grumbled playfully as he watched her paw through the piles of mail on the desk.

"Well, it's still really gross up there."

"How long has it been out?"

"Uh, since Rory broke up with Dean, the first time."

"Not the sequel."

"Yes, he was the last one to change it. Jess never changed the porch light, by the way," she pointed out smartly. Lorelai sighed as she looked around one last time and then said, "Okay, this room is definitely keyless. Kitchen!"

Luke followed her, frowning in disbelief as he saw her open the oven door. "You left your keys in the stove?"

Lorelai pulled her pink socks from the oven and held them up as she said, "No, my socks."

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "Your socks, of course. How naïve of me."

Lorelai dropped into a chair and started to pull them on. "It makes them warm and slightly toasty." She paused and scowled at her foot. "Huh, that's weird."

"What's weird? There's so much to choose from." Luke muttered.

"They're still damp. I followed the recipe. Bake at two-fifty, ten minutes on one side, ten on the other, they should be done by now. Think my oven's broken?" she asked worriedly.

"What about your dryer?" Luke asked, his grip on his patience slipping a little.

"No, dryer's fine," Lorelai told him as she pulled on her boot.

Luke sighed and rubbed his neck. "I think we should get to the movies."

She hurriedly pulled the other boot on and stood up. "All done, let's go."

"Keys!" Luke reminded her.

Lorelai shrugged into her jacket and pulled her hair from the collar. "Ah, forget about them. I'll just leave the door unlocked."

"You can't leave the door unlocked. That's not safe," he argued.

"Sure it is."

Luke fixed her with a stern look. "Just because you say it's safe doesn't make it safe."

"If you build it, they will come," she quipped.

Luke walked over to pull the back door closed. "Have you checked out the… Your keys are in the door!" he called out, jiggling the key in the lock.

Lorelai looked up as she snapped her purse closed. "Huh, they are? That's right, I had to go in the back way because the porch light was out!" she cried, and then smirked at him.

"They're stuck," he complained, still trying to work the key free from the lock.

"Yeah, that happens," Lorelai said as she grabbed a dishtowel from the counter. She nudged him out of the way and then draped the towel over the doorknob. "There. You ready?" she called as she walked away.

"I can never pick you up here again," Luke muttered as he pulled the door closed. "Lorelai, wait," he said as he trotted through the kitchen and caught up to her in the hall, capturing her wrist. "Let's not go."

"Not go?" Lorelai asked. _But there was a plan,_ her mind argued. _Dating Luke never deviated from the plan. Dating Luke loved plans. That was the one way the Dating Luke was just like Luke-Luke. He made a plan and stuck to it. There would be dinner, maybe a movie, once he even convinced her to go bowling… _"You don't want to see the movie?" she asked in a bewildered tone.

"Do you?" he asked, his fingers sliding up her wrist a little, pushing back her sleeves to stroke her delicate skin.

"I thought you wanted to."

"I'm not dying to see whatever it is that you closed your eyes and pointed to in the newspaper," he said in a low voice rich with amusement.

Lorelai's eyes widened a bit. She recognized that timbre. Usually she didn't hear it until the end of the evening, when such important questions as 'Are we staying here or at your place?' came into play. "You want to stay in?"

Luke shrugged a little and said, "Unless you really want to go out."

This threw her a little more. _Sure, we'd had evenings in, but those were planned too. They would make the important pizza, Chinese or diner food decision, there would be movies rented, and the sleeping arrangements would already be implied. It would still be a date, in the Luke Danes definition of the word._ Lorelai glanced down at his thumb pressing against the pulse in her wrist, and felt her own heart rate pick up when she met his eyes again. Staring back at her was end-of-the-date Dating Luke; his eyes warm, his body swaying toward hers, his lips curved into that small, smug smile that was filled with promise. His smile grew, and she knew that he knew that she knew what he wanted.

Recovering quickly, Lorelai smiled back at him and asked coyly, "What do you want to do?"

Luke didn't answer. Instead he released her wrist and raised both hands, plunging his fingers into her hair. He tipped her head back and lowered his lips to hers in a crushing kiss. Lorelai gasped for air as they parted. She took a tiny step back, wondering for a moment where the slow, sweet, soft kisses had gone. And then he pulled her to him again. Her hands flew up, bracing against his chest as he kissed her; his tongue parting her lips as she melted into him. His tongue teased hers, waiting for her to catch up. Once she did, he took control once again, running his tongue over hers in a slow, sensual dance, pulling her closer to him so that there would be no doubt whatsoever about what he wanted to do.

"Oh my," Lorelai whispered, tipping her head back as he began his assault on her neck and throat.

"Don't put your socks in the oven," he growled.

"I was just drying them out," she answered, clinging to his shoulders as she swayed on unsteady legs.

"That's what the dryer is for," he grumbled, punctuating his words by drawing her earlobe into his mouth and sucking hard. Luke pulled back and stared down at her intently. "Don't put your socks in the oven, don't leave your car lights on, and don't hang a dishrag over your keys and call the house secure. You're making me crazy."

Lorelai smiled brightly and whispered, "So I see."

Luke ran his fingers through her hair, letting the ends filter through them slowly. "You do make me crazy," he said softly.

"Maybe you're just crazy," she said with a shrug.

"The woman who invented hand-to-mouth-to-moth disease would know," Luke answered with a wry smile, and then claimed her lips again.

His hands fell to her shoulders and he began to push her jacket down off of her shoulders as their tongues tangled. He raked the jacket down off of her arms, letting it fall to the floor in a heap. He walked her back two steps until her back hit the wall by the stairs. His mouth never leaving hers, Luke's nimble fingers found the top button on her blouse, grazing the heated skin beneath. Lorelai moaned softly, pushing her hands under his jacket and curling her fingers into the soft sweater that covered the hard muscles in his back. Luke opened the first two buttons and then covered her breast with his hand, pressing the soft mound into his palm as he kneaded the tender flesh with demanding fingers.

Lorelai tore her mouth from his. "Upstairs," she rasped.

"Right here," he answered. "Right now."

"Oh," she breathed, pressing her head back into the spindles of the staircase. Luke reached back with his free hand and pulled her hand from his back. He lifted it up until her fingers bumped one of the spindles and then curled around it, holding on tightly as his hand covered hers. "What's gotten into you?" she wondered aloud.

"I thought about you all day," he confessed in a low deep voice.

"You did?"

"Yes," he answered simply as his fingers grazed the front hook of her bra. A second later, Lorelai felt the tension in the lacy fabric give way. Luke brushed the cup aside, and reclaimed her breast, his eyes locked on hers. "Don't loosen the tops on my salt shakers again," he warned sternly.

"You weren't paying attention to me," Lorelai pouted.

"I was busy, I was working," he said as he trailed hot, wet kisses down her throat. He dipped his tongue into the hollow at the base, and then tugged lightly at the delicate silver chain that had teased him earlier that day. He rolled the tight bud of her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and then pinched it lightly. "Don't come in there and look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like that," he said as he lifted his head and stared back at her intently.

"Maybe I can't help looking at you like that," she argued.

"You make me crazy. I burned myself three times."

"I'll kiss it."

Luke lowered his hand, running it slowly down her arm as his thumb teased her nipple. He lifted his hand to her lips, offering her the side beneath his pinkie for her healing kiss. Lorelai kept her eyes locked on his as she pressed a tender kiss into his abused flesh, and then kissed each of his fingertips. Luke smiled and said, "Much better."

"I have the magic touch," Lorelai said with an easy shrug. She glanced down as he lowered that hand to the buttons on her blouse and began opening the rest of them as he continued to caress her breast. "Right here?" she asked breathlessly.

"Right now," Luke answered as he freed the last button and moved on to the waistband of her snug jeans. "You look beautiful," he said softly, his eyes trailing down over the creamy skin revealed by her parted blouse.

Lorelai smiled and said, "Well, yeah, you already have me half undressed."

"You always look beautiful; dressed, undressed, doesn't matter." Luke lowered the zipper on her jeans and then reluctantly released her breast. He let his finger slide teasingly down over her stomach and into the open vee of her pants. The tip of his index finger traced the elastic of her panties. "You make me crazy," he whispered as he pushed her jeans roughly down over her hips.

"I can't believe you're doing this," she murmured.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked quickly, probing her eyes for the answer.

"God, no!"

"Okay." With a slight nod, Luke bent and pushed the tight denim down over her long, lean thighs. He lowered himself slowly to his knees and reached for her foot. Lorelai raised it and smiled as he tugged the boot she had just put on from her foot and tossed it carelessly aside. She switched sides, watching as he removed her other boot and went immediately back to stripping off her jeans.

"Socks," she murmured.

"Leaving them on," he answered as he yanked the denim from her feet.

"Kinky," she teased.

Luke ran his hands up her long legs, kneading her thighs gently, his gaze fixed on the tiny scrap of a thong she wore. "You call that underwear?" he asked, his warm breath teasing the tops of her thighs.

"The pants I had on earlier are knit, I couldn't have tragic panty lines," Lorelai explained, forcing herself not to arch toward him.

"You had these on when you loosened the tops on my salt shakers?" Luke asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Yes," she answered with a slow smile.

Luke looked up at her and said, "If I'd known that I would have paid closer attention."

"You never know what I'll do. I'm full of surprises." Luke let his eyes travel slowly over her partially clad body, but didn't reply. Instead, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the miniscule triangle of fabric that barely covered her. "Oh! And so are you," she purred as she ran her hands through his soft hair, fisting her fingers into the curls at the nape of his neck. "Take your coat off, stay a while," she said in a breathy voice.

"I think I will," Luke answered, rocking back on his heels and looking up at her as he shrugged out of his jacket.

"Lose the shirt too. And the pants," Lorelai said with a feline smile.

"You got it." Luke yanked the sweater over his head and tossed it somewhere in the general direction of the kitchen, and then rolled to his feet as he reached for his belt.

"What did you think about?" Lorelai asked.

"Huh?"

"All day you thought about me. What did you think about?"

"This."

"Attacking me in my front hallway?"

"Not exactly," Luke admitted, stumbling slightly as he tried to extricate his feet from his shoes.

"No?" Lorelai watched appreciatively as he shoved his jeans down over his muscular thighs. "Was it the socks?" she asked teasingly.

Luke kicked the jeans aside and hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his boxer briefs. "Yes," he answered honestly as he pushed them down. His erection strained upward as he stepped out of them and then stood before her completely bare.

A soft appreciative sigh escaped her lips as Lorelai reached for him. She wrapped her fingers around the hard shaft and ran her thumb over its velvety tip. She wet her lips and asked in a whisper, "Yes?"

"You drive me crazy," Luke said as he stepped closer, trapping her hand between their bodies.

Lorelai's eyes widened a little. "That turned you on?"

"When I walked out of the kitchen and caught you unscrewing those tops…" he growled as he nuzzled her ear.

Lorelai giggled nervously and asked, "You wanted to screw…"

"Lorelai," he cut her off with a passionate kiss.

Lorelai ran her hand greedily over his shoulder, digging her nails into his rippling muscles as she continued to stroke him slowly, letting her fingers glide over him. Luke groaned against her mouth and then raised both hands, pulling back so that he could cup her breasts beneath the fabric of her shirt. He kissed his way down her neck as he teased her nipples, letting the beaded tips of them rasp against the soft skin of his palms. "Do you often have impure thoughts in the diner?" Lorelai asked breathlessly.

"Only when you're around."

"Do you often have impure thoughts about me?"

"All the time."

"Man, you're good," she whispered as he pulled back away from her tortuous touch and bent his head to her breast, pushing the side of her blouse back impatiently. Luke drew the hardened tip into his mouth and sucked hard, tugging her deep into his mouth. "So good."

Luke kissed his way to her other breast and circled her nipple slowly with his tongue. He blew on it gently and then opened his mouth to capture it between his teeth. Lorelai watched as he suckled her, her lips parted as her breath came in soft pants. She swallowed hard as he kissed his way down her stomach, sinking to his knees once more. His breath flowed hot and moist through the fabric of her thong, his eyes raked over her body and then bored into hers laser hot. Lorelai sucked in a breath as he ducked his head and caught the top of her panties with his teeth. He pulled them down, slowly revealing her dark, damp curls, and nuzzling her with his nose. He slid them down using his teeth and hands, tugging them over her thighs and releasing them to fall to her feet. Lorelai stepped out of the panties, planting her feet apart to grant him better access to her.

"What do you think about?" she asked softly.

Luke didn't answer. Instead he sat back on his heels and leaned forward, trailing his tongue slowly up her inner thigh. He looked up at her as his breath stirred the curls that covered her sex, letting her know his every thought. He ran his hand down over her ass, his fingertips teasing her folds as they made their way down her leg, and then lifted it. Lorelai shifted a little, one hand flying up to grip the staircase as she tried to balance on one leg. Luke ran his hand possessively over her thigh as he placed it on his shoulder. With a quick look to be sure that she was okay, he leaned forward, pressing his open mouth to her curls. Lorelai raised her other arm, gripping a spindle as she tried to pull herself up higher.

Luke parted her folds with his tongue, sweeping it lazily around her clit as her body bowed into him. He hummed in satisfaction when he found her wet and sweet. "Oh yeah," he whispered against her and then began to devour her.

"Oh, yes!" Lorelai cried as he sucked her into his mouth, tugging on her clit insistently. Luke pulled back and looked up at her, his chest heaving with barely restrained ardor. "Don't stop," she pled desperately.

But Luke reached for the leg draped over his shoulder. He ran his hand over the creamy skin of her thigh as he asked in a low gravelly voice, "Were you thinking about me too?"

"Yes."

He lowered her leg and then stood up with a grunt. Covering her hands on the spindles, he pressed against her, his cock trapped against the damp heat of her as he circled his hips, teasing them both. "I think about you all the time. I've tried to be good," he confessed with a hoarse chuckle.

"I like you bad," Lorelai answered quickly.

"I need you to know," he said quietly. "It's not all about this."

"I know." Lorelai met his steady blue gaze and then whispered, "But for right now…"

"Right now," Luke answered with a nod. He bent his knees and lifted her leg onto his hip as he positioned himself between her legs.

"Right here."

"Right here," he confirmed as he pushed into her.

Lorelai relished the long, deep groan that rumbled up from deep within him. She pulled up with her arms, trying to give him a better angle, but couldn't hold on. She sank down onto him, impaling herself further as he thrust into her hard. "Right there!" she cried.

"Jesus, Lorelai," Luke panted as he held her to him with one arm.

"You feel good," she panted, pressing the back of his thigh with her sock clad foot. "I can't believe this," she murmured as he pushed into her again. "Oh God, you're naked in my hallway."

"Shh," he managed to hiss.

"No, no, I won't," Lorelai said stubbornly. "You like this. You like me crazy, you like me talking," she said with a breathless laugh. She pulled up again, the muscles in her arms straining until she could take no more. As he thrust into her again, she let go, the weight of her body driving her down on him.

Luke grasped her ass in both hands, trying to hold her up as a groan of pleasure ripped from his chest. "Stop," he gasped.

"No, don't stop. Here, now," Lorelai demanded as she ground against him. "Hard, fast." Luke complied, his hands pulling her apart as he thrust into her driving her into the wall. "Is this what you wanted? Oh God, did you want to do this there, then?" she asked in a breathy voice. "Push me up against your counter; make me pay for messing with your salt."

"Lorelai."

"I unscrew the shakers, you screw me," she panted as she wriggled a bit. "Luke, I think we need to be more horizontal."

A strangled grunt caught in his throat as she tightened around him. Reluctantly, he pulled away and blinked rapidly at the loss of her heat. His head swiveled from side to side as he debated where to go, and then he nudged her toward the kitchen.

"No," she gasped in disbelief.

"Okay," Luke said as he began to change directions.

"No, I mean, yes," Lorelai said as she grasped his arms, walking backward as she pulled him into the kitchen. "Look at you. No date, no dinner, no movie," she rambled, as she backed up into a chair. Luke reached out and jerked it from the table sending it toppling on its back. "In the kitchen. On the table," Lorelai whispered in a husky voice as she leaned back on the table, pulling him down with her. "Just this. Us…" Luke lifted her leg and pulled her to the edge while Lorelai braced her hands behind her. "Oh!" she cried as he filled her again, thrusting into her with one stroke.

Lorelai's pulse quickened as he ducked his head, watching his cock slide into her. A low guttural groan seeped from his lips, and he looked up at her, his eyes slumberous with lust. He brushed her blouse back, feasting his eyes on her pert breasts, wetting his lips as they bounced with each thrust. Lorelai pushed up and raised one hand to the back of his head, pulling him down for a heated kiss. "You're in me," she whispered as they parted, and then let her head fall back as she caught her balance once again.

Luke drove into her, grinding against her with each stroke as she moaned and panted her approval. He leaned forward, bracing one hand beside her as he circled his hips, and she cried out. Relentlessly he pushed her higher, grinding his teeth as her muscles clenched around him, holding his breath until she called his name, seemingly shattering into pieces as she crested. He exhaled in a rush as he pumped into her, riding each wave of pleasure as it wracked her body until they subsided. Only then did he pull back, staring down at their joined bodies in wonder, watching as he pulled back from her, his cock slick with her juices. Lorelai whispered his name and Luke looked up at her. "I'm in you," he murmured, and then lost all control.

He plunged into her, emptying into her as his face grew slack. His soft, pink lips formed a small 'O', standing in sharp contrast to the dark stubble that covered his lip, chin and cheeks. Lorelai reached up, cupping his rough cheek in her hand as he slowed, his breathing ragged, his muscles turning to liquid as his knees buckled a little.

Her hand slipped to his arm, holding him there. "Easy," she cautioned softly. "Wow, huh, I must be," she added with a giddy laugh.

"What?" he whispered breathlessly.

"I must be easy," she giggled.

Luke snorted softly and shook his head, trying to control his oxygen supply. "You're not easy."

"You walked in here, lectured me, refused to take me on a date, attacked me in the hall, and look at us now," Lorelai argued, waving lazily at their still joined bodies.

"I'm sorry," Luke apologized automatically.

"Are you?" she asked, cocking her head.

He chuckled. "Not at the moment."

"Didn't think so." Lorelai gave his arm a squeeze and then smiled. "Thought about me all day, huh?"

"Nothing new," Luke said gruffly.

"You think about me all the time," she said smugly.

"Well, yeah. I'm worried you'll burn the house down around you by putting your socks in the oven," he said, casting a meaningful glance at the appliance in question.

Lorelai grinned as she ran her sock covered foot over the back of his leg; pressing him to her, holding him there, where she wanted him. "You like my socks, they make you crazy, remember."

"You make me crazy. The socks are just evidence of the insanity," he said as he kissed her sweetly and then leaned over to press his forehead to hers. "You want Chinese or pizza?"

"Gonna try to make it up to me now, huh?"

"Yep."

"Don't."

"No?"

"I mean, I want food, but I want this too," she answered. Lorelai kissed him again and then whispered, "I like making you crazy."

"You're good at it."

"My quirks are your kink," she answered with a grin.

"Must be." Luke pushed back, closing his eyes as he slipped from her.

"You realize that it will just escalate now," she warned.

Luke sighed as he ran one hand up her thigh as he leaned in and kissed her soft and slow. When he pulled back a fraction of an inch, he whispered, "Your socks are damp. I'll check the oven in the morning."

"We'll order Chinese and eat it in bed," Lorelai said with a nod.

"In bed? Won't that get messy?" Luke asked with a frown.

Lorelai quirked an eyebrow at him and asked, "You wanna eat at the table?"

Luke looked down and quickly straightened the napkin holder that threatened to topple over the edge. "Bed sounds good." He trailed his fingers down her leg and stripped off one of the damp pink socks before reaching for the other. "I'll check the dryer tomorrow too," he promised as he straightened up and backed away, offering his hand to help her up.

Lorelai smirked as she placed her hand in his and slid from the table. Lorelai gave him a saucy wink as she closed her shirt over her breasts. She ran her hand lightly across his chest as she sauntered past him to find the cordless phone. "Don't bother. I have no intention of ever using that dryer again."


	23. Tell Tale Parts

**A/N: **Hello! I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my favorite owner, **IkilledKenny**. Once again she has outdone herself and everyone else. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I also need to dedicate this to my **truelovpooh**, who aside from being a fantastic friend, was the inspiration for this chapter. Actually, she demanded it. She has a little thing for 'clean smut', I guess. Aw, now don't look at her like that. You do too, or you wouldn't be reading this trash. Anyway, for the purposes of this trip into Uhuhnowayland, Taylor never had a redheaded stickperson for an attorney. It's more fun that way.

Thank you for all of your reviews and kind words. I truly do appreciate them. I hope that you enjoy it!

**Tell Tale Parts**

Clouds of steam billowed over the top of the plastic shower curtain. She glanced down at the faded blue washcloth in her hand, her thumb running across the rough terry cloth as it softened under the strong spray. The bar of soap sat on the ledge, melting in a shallow pool of water leftover from his last shower. She picked it up and held it to her nose, trying to recall by scent what brand it was. _Not Lava. Zest? No, Zest is blue, I think. Irish Spring! That's it!_ She inhaled deeply and smiled as she began to work the smooth bar between the folds of the washcloth. "Manly, yes, but ladies like it too," she murmured as she smoothed the soapy cloth up one slender arm.

She jumped and whirled at the sound of the plastic rings sliding along the metal shower rod. The spray caught the little tendrils of hair that escaped from the clip she'd fastened hastily atop her head, coiling them into tight spirals sprinkled with miniscule droplets that caught the light. She blinked when she saw him standing there watching her wash. And then, a smile curved her lips as she switched hands and ran the washcloth slowly down her other arm.

"Finally," she said, raising a taunting eyebrow.

"Need help?"

She let the worn blue scrap of toweling dangle from her fingers. "I thought you'd never ask."

****

"You are hilarious!" she yelled as she sat up in the middle of the bed, glaring at the alarm clocks that filled the room. She swung her legs out of bed and shuffled to the steps, hiking the thin strap of her nightgown up onto her shoulder. "Okay, see, last night, when I said to you, 'Tomorrow, no matter what, make sure I get up at seven,' what I actually meant was, 'Tomorrow, no matter what, make sure I have the option of getting up at seven in case when seven comes, I actually wanna get up,' which – as it happened – I didn't," she rambled as he stood at the stove, cooking her breakfast. "Therefore, you're currently responsible for the great alarm clock slaughter of 2002," she informed him as she pulled the coffee canister from the freezer.

"No survivors?"

"The one shaped like a bunny escaped with a mild decapitation." She opened the container and took a sniff. "This is decaf."

"What are you talking about?"

"You switched my coffee again," she accused as she set the canister aside and began to search the kitchen.

"I'm a busy man. I don't have time to sneak around switching your coffee. I have a diner to run, I have shipments to order, I have things to flip and fry. Will you stop that?"

She reached under the sink, groping blindly until she felt a plastic zip-lock bag shoved in the very back of the cabinet. "Ha, haha, hahaha! Under the sink, very clever, but not clever enough bucko!" she crowed.

"Okay, fine, you know what? I give up."

"Woo hoo!"

"Go one day without coffee," he challenged.

"That's not giving up," she pointed out.

"I'll put a toy in your cereal," he cajoled.

"Dirty!"

He rolled his eyes as he handed her a plate of food. "Fine, here, you win."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now you're up, you're fed, I'm leaving."

"Oh, hey, we need q-tips," she reminded him as he gathered his keys and wallet.

"I'll alert the media," he mumbled.

"See, that's better with the accent."

"The reference is enough, you'll learn that one day," he said dryly. "I'll be home early, anything besides the q-tips?"

"Um, cotton balls, world peace, Connie Chung's original face back."

He leaned in and kissed her, effectively cutting off his honey-do list. As he pulled away, she pulled him back for one more.

"Goodbye crazy lady," he murmured against her lips. He leaned down, gently running his fingers over her stomach and tickling her with his thumb. "Goodbye Sid and Nancy," he said affectionately.

"Leopold and Loeb."

"What?"

"I changed my mind, don't tell Rory."

"Decaf," he pled.

"Never," she vowed.

"They'll both have two heads."

"More to love," she insisted, framing his face with her hands and kissing him sweetly to drive home her point. She turned and watched as he walked out the kitchen door, covering her barely convex stomach with both hands. A happy smile curved her lips as she watch the curtains swing back into place.

No sooner had then settled than the door opened again, slamming behind him. "What?" she asked wide eyed as he covered the distance between them in three easy strides.

He cupped her face in his hands and tipped her lips up to his, kissing her passionately. Her lips softened and yielded under the pressure of his. A moan of soft surrender escaped. He caught it, parting his lips over his, meeting her eager tongue halfway and drinking her in greedily.

"Flip. Fry," she managed to whisper as he kissed his way across her jaw.

"It'll wait," he answered, running his finger under one thin strap and then pulling it over the soft curve of her shoulder before marking the spot where it had rested with his lips.

"Half-caf," she promised, tipping her head back further and running her hands over his broad flannel clad shoulders.

"Good. Only one will be a mutant."

****

He took the washcloth from her fingertips and let it fall to the bottom of the tub as he stepped inside and drew the curtain closed behind him. She watched as drops of water collected in the soft curls that covered his chest and stomach. Her eyes dropped, raking over as she offered him the bar of soap clutched in her hand. It slipped from her hand to his without so much as a touch, but her breathing quickened as she met his eyes.

He slowly rubbed the bar between his palms, the lather seeping through his long fingers and trailing down his hands, snaking around his wrists before dropping in sudsy pools at their feet. He set the bar on the ledge, and then reached for her. She exhaled in a rush; releasing the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as his hands skimmed up over her ribs.

"Kiss me. Please kiss me," she said softly, caught in the deep blue depths of his gaze.

He leaned forward, his fingertips grazing the soft undersides of her breasts as his lips brushed over hers. She parted her lips, asking for more. He kissed her harder, his lips crushing hers as he filled his palms with her breasts, squeezing the soft mounds insistently as his tongue claimed hers.

His hands were everywhere. Kneading her tender flesh, pulling her hard against him, holding her firmly, and stroking her endlessly. His mouth was relentless. His lips never leaving hers, his tongue teased her with promises of things to come; his taste warm and intoxicating. She braced one hand on the cool tile wall as he turned her away from the spray, feeling her fingertips bump along the thin lines of grout. He pressed her into the tile wall, and she jumped when her bare ass touched the cold ceramic. She moaned in appreciation as his hot mouth captured one hardened nipple. He sucked greedily, pulling her into his mouth, laving her with that teasing tongue.

His name escaped her lips. Her hands grappled for any part of him she could get. His groan reverberated through her as she wrapped her fingers around his stiff cock, stroking him hard and fast as the water rushed over his shoulders, flowing over his chest, and down his stomach. He released her breast, gasping for air as he pushed away from her. He grasped her wrist and pulled her hand from his cock, lifting it up until her fingers curled instinctively around the metal shower rod.

She blinked the water from her eyes, trying to chase the drops of water that clung to her lashes away with a quick swipe of her fingers. He pressed one hand to her stomach and then stared at her as it slid slowly down into the dark, downy curls that covered her sex. Her lips parted as if to speak, but no sound came out. He tickled her folds with his fingertips and she parted her legs in invitation.

"You want me?" he asked as he cupped his hand, parting her with his middle finger.

"Yes."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Fuck me," she whispered, pressing onto his hand.

He thrust one finger into her, inhaling sharply as her heat enveloped his finger and she cried out.

****

He slid the nightgown from her shoulders and down her arms, gently peeling it down over her breasts until the ruffled bodice hung at her waist. "Pretty."

"Me or the nightgown?"

"Both. It," he corrected quickly. "It's pretty, you're beautiful."

"We're in the kitchen," she reminded him gently.

"Don't care," he whispered as he cupped her breasts. He caressed her gently, watching carefully for signs of discomfort. When he found none, he brushed his thumbs over her tightly furled nipples and bent his head to kiss them.

She moaned and circled her hips fruitlessly, unable to find the friction her body craved worse than coffee. She slid her hands down his back and curled her fingers into his shirts, tugging hard until his t-shirt came untucked from his jeans. He pulled back and quickly pulled both shirts over his head, letting them fall to the floor. He pulled her away from the counter, kissing her again as he walked backwards until he bumped into the table. He pulled out a chair and then dropped into it without looking, pulling her down to straddle his lap. She quickly complied; the fabric of her pretty pink nightgown pooled at her waist as she leaned down and kissed him hard and hot.

The hard ridge of his denim encased erection pressed against her bare skin as she ground against him. His hands slid over her bare bottom, squeezing her hard as she rubbed against him wantonly.

****

She pressed her palm against the wall, clinging to the rod with her other hand as he thrust first one and then two fingers into her, stroking her mercilessly. She moaned and lifted her foot to the lip of the tub, pulling the curtain taut beneath her foot in her efforts to grant him better access.

He drove his fingers into her as he sank to his knees. Without the shield of his body, the spray pummeled her; coursing down over her stomach, flattening his hair as he kissed his way down her body, pooling in the palm of his hand as he stroked her. He sank back on his heels and leaned forward, pressing his mouth to the apex of her legs. He groaned loudly as the taste of water and her arousal mixed on his tongue.

His tongue was velvet soft, rasping over the sensitive flesh tenderly, driving her mad as he drove her up with each sweet caress of his tongue, each conquering thrust of his fingers. She pressed her head back against the hard tile, knocking the clip from the pile of curls perched precariously at her crown. It clattered to the bottom of the tub as her dark curls tumbled down around her shoulders. He drew her clit into his mouth and sucked gently, causing her to gasp his name again. Fueled by an insatiable need to hear it bouncing off of the tiled walls of the tiny room, he devoured her, pushing her over the edge.

****

She reached between them, fumbling with the buckle on his belt as she chuckled softly against his lips. She felt his lips curve in response and whispered, "Get them off."

"Get you off?" he asked with a rakish smile. He ran his hands up over the bunch fabric of her pretty pink nightgown and then back down over the smooth skin of her bottom, and then dropped a naughty wink.

She gasped, feigning shock at his innuendo as she slid from his lap and bent to open his pants. She pulled the belt from the loops on his jeans and waved it at him menacingly. "Bad boy."

"I'll be good," he promised as he shoved his jeans and underwear down, and then pulled her back into his lap. "But if I'm not, you can whip me later."

****

Her legs trembled and she clung to the shower rod, praying that it would support her weight. He stood up, looking her straight in the eye as she tried to blink away the haze of pleasure clouding her mind. When she could focus on him it struck her that her efforts were all for naught. The intensity of his gaze rivaled the heat of the water. She looked up at him, and licked her suddenly dry lips. The question she was trying to formulate dying on the parched skin as he lowered his mouth to hers once more.

She could taste herself on his lips and tongue, but instead of feeling a little repulsed, she found it oddly arousing. As his tongue wound around hers, she felt that coil of desire drawing tighter and tighter low in her stomach. When she pushed away from the wall to press her body the length of his, she felt it catch; holding fast as her spiraled up again. She rubbed against him sinuously, reveling in the feel of her slick, wet skin sliding against his. He caught her hips in his hands, curling his fingers into the creamy, delicate skin in an effort to still her.

With a mew of frustration, she pulled away and frowned up at him. He simply shook his head, and took a step back and placed his hands on her shoulders. With gentle pressure, he guided her to her knees. She looked up at him, watching the rise and fall of his muscular chest above her as the shower spray beat into his back. A low, guttural groan rivaled the sound of the water beating down on the worn porcelain tub as she parted her lips and covered the swollen tip with her mouth. She pulled away, exerting no suction, but teasing him with her pink tongue she as looked up at him through her lashes. He slicked her hair back with his fingers, smoothing it over her scalp as he watched, his own lips parted in anticipation of her next move. His fingers tightened on her head as she swirled her tongue around the head of his cock and then drew him deep into her mouth.

His hips bucked as he fought to resist the siren's song of her smooth tongue tracing the throbbing vein that ran the length of him. She let her lips glide over the silken skin of his shaft and then sucked hard on the head, pulling him in fast and deep. She braced her hands on his hips, holding him firmly as she worked him with her mouth; savoring each groan, moving faster as his fingers tightened on her scalp. Her hands slid to squeeze his tight ass, leaving him free to thrust into her. His hips jerked; pushing deeper, demanding that she take more until the exquisite torture became too much to bear.

He pulled her off of him with a determined grunt. She blinked up at him in confusion as he reached for her arms and pulled her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her and plastering her against his pulsating body, he kissed her deeply, pulling her head back with his fingers tangled in her hair. Once again, he stepped back abruptly, rocking her back on her heels.

"What are you doing?" she asked breathlessly.

He placed his hands on her hips and gently turned her toward the tile wall. "Giving you what you asked for," he growled into her ear as he nudged her leg, signaling her to lift it to the edge of the tub. She pressed her palms to the slick, wet tiles, pushing her ass toward him as she arched her back in anticipation.

He entered her on one smooth stroke, holding her hips to steady her at first as he buried himself in her. He raised one hand and pressed the heel of it into the small of her back, urging her to bend over further. She bent her elbows, pressing into the wall for leverage as she pushed back at each thrust.

"Harder," she whispered, her plea nearly swallowed by the spray.

He responded immediately, slowing as he drove into her more forcefully. He pressed his hand to her stomach and then let it slide down to stroke her clit. His other hand claimed her breast, squeezing it roughly with each thrust, flattening it against his palm as he ground into her over and over again.

She called his name softly, and his nimble fingers responded, teasing her with his fingertips as he pushed into her deeper and deeper. She called his name louder as the heat burned deep inside of her, setting him aflame as her muscles tensed around him, poised on the edge of her climax. He felt her break, a rush of adrenaline surging through his veins as she called out to him, for him, of him, over and over again. His name bouncing off of the walls and reverberating in the steam filled room.

****

She giggled softly, nipping at his neck as she wriggled against his thighs, teasing him. He growled in response and slid his hands under her gown, pushing it back up as he lifted her hips. He held her there as she guided the tip of him to her entrance, and then sank down slowly, the muscles in her thighs quivering with restraint. Once he was fully sheathed in her, she smiled brightly at him and whispered, "Good morning."

"Morning," he returned gruffly.

"You feel so good," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and nipped at his ear.

His hands slid up her back as he whispered, "Okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Better than fine," she amended as she began to move. Pressing the tips of her toes to the floor, she lifted up, sighing as she felt the length of him slipping away from her little by little, and then moaning a feline purr of pleasure as she lowered herself back down on him. "I was so smart to have married you," she whispered in his ear.

"Yeah, or you might have starved," he answered, long accustomed to her need to talk.

"I survived before you," she reminded him with a teasing smile.

"You're supposed to tell me you can't," he said as he grasped her hips, encouraging her to move faster.

"I don't want to," she said as she tipped her head back, letting her dark curls tumbled down her back. "I don't want to be without you. That's much better than can't," she told him breathlessly.

"Yes."

She ran her hands over his chest and leaned down to kiss him hungrily. "I wanna have you for breakfast every morning."

His smiled was slow, his eyes, heavy lidded as he gazed up at her lovingly. "That's not what you said last week."

"Well, your kids were giving me trouble. Oh!" she gasped as she pressed his thumb to her clit, massaging it gently as she rode him. "Cheater," she whispered.

He watched as she rode him faster; his face a mixture of pleasure and pride as she murmured his name in warning. "Yes," he hissed between his teeth.

She sighed it to the ceiling as she tipped her head back, letting the waves of sensation rush through her.

"Luke," she murmured as she rolled over.

A loud snore answered her from the other side of the apartment and Lorelai's eyes popped open. She blinked into the darkness as she tried to cling to the dregs of the dream. Again Jess snored, shaking the window panes from the opposite side of the room. Groaning in frustration, she clamped a pillow over her ear but even that didn't block out the sound of the heavy breathing coming from the couch. As she tossed the pillow aside, Lorelai heard a low, deep moan. She swung her legs over the edge of the narrow twin bed and peered in the direction of the couch. The dim light filtering from the streetlights below revealed that Luke had kicked his covers off in his sleep. She frowned with concern as she noted the rise and fall of his chest and then heard yet another moan. She pushed herself up from the bed and padded silently to the couch.

Her eyes widened and she blinked to clear her vision as she stared down at Luke. His hair was tousled by restless sleep, his muscular chest rising and falling rapidly in that worn old olive drab t-shirt as he took in and expelled huge breaths of air. One hand lay sprawled over his cotton clad stomach, but the other was plunged into the waistband of his grey sweatpants. She stared transfixed as her dream came flooding back to her in vivid Technicolor, waking her body with a rush of arousal that soaked her panties. Lorelai stepped closer, watching as his hand moved beneath the fabric, her tongue darting out to wet her lips when she saw the tip of his erection peeking out above the elastic of his pants.

Luke moaned again, this time the sound caught in his throat and formed a lump in hers. His hand moved faster as his breath hitched. "Lorelai," he groaned softly.

Her eyes widened as she gasped. Luke's eyes flew open and he blinked rapidly as he saw her looming over him. "Lorelai," he croaked, yanking his hand from his pants as if he had been scalded.

Color flooded his face as they stared at each other, frozen in place. As she regained motor skills, Lorelai managed to close her mouth, but could not force herself to look away. Luke turned his head, breaking eye contact, and her eyes immediately traveled southward to the still apparent tent in his pants. Without thinking, she held out her hand.

Luke spotted the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned back to her. "I wasn't, I don't know what…" he began to whisper.

Lorelai raised her other hand and pressed a finger to her lips, silencing him. She waggled the fingers on her outstretched hand, urging him to take it. Cautiously, Luke placed his hand in hers and allowed her to pull, smirking when her full weight couldn't budge him from the couch. Lorelai fixed him with an impatient glare, and he swung his feet to the floor. Once he was upright, she turned, grasping his fingers tightly as she stared for the tiny bathroom opposite his bed.

They stepped inside and Lorelai quietly closed the door after them, blocking out any light from the apartment. She turned toward him, peering into the inky darkness as she whispered, "You were dreaming about me."

"Lorelai, I don't," he whispered urgently, only to be cut off when she covered his mouth with her hand, accidentally jabbing him in the nose with her fingers.

He grunted in protest, and she stifled a giggle. "You can pick your friends, or you can pick your nose," she whispered as she lowered her hand. "You were dreaming about me," she repeated patiently.

"Yes," he sighed in defeat.

Lorelai's hand trailed down over the soft green shirt pulled taut over his chest, letting it wander aimlessly over his hard stomach, and then grazed the outline of his erection through his sweatpants. Luke drew in a sharp breath and she whispered, "Were we in the shower?"

"No," he managed to answer.

"Oh," she breathed, unable to mask her disappointment. She lifted her chin, squinting in the dark to make out his features. "I dreamed we were in the shower," she told him as she tightened her fingers around him and began to stroke him through his pants. "So hot, steam, you, me," she whispered.

Luke raised one hand; his fingers hit her ear, causing her to flinch slightly as he reached to cup the back of her neck. Lorelai tipped her chin up further and met his lips as they crushed hers. She opened her mouth, taking him in and sucking his tongue greedily. She plunged her hand into the front of his pants as he stepped closer, pinning her against the tiny vanity and trapping her hand between them.

Lorelai tore her mouth from his and immediately pressed it to his neck, breathing in the scent of Irish Spring as she sucked the tender skin just below his ear into her mouth. Luke groaned as his hands slipped down her back to cup her ass. Pushing closer to her, he lifted up, setting her atop the vanity. Lorelai pulled back and immediate whipped her shirt up over her head. "So hot, it was so hot, Luke," she whispered. "Touch me."

His hands moved to her breasts, cupping them in his palms before squeezing them gently. "Your kitchen," he murmured as he bent to kiss her again. His tongue circled hers, pulling it into his mouth before he moved to suck her lower lip. "Married, twins," he whispered as he pulled away.

"Oh God," Lorelai panted, arching into his hands. She released his cock and began pushing at the waistband of his pants. "Water, so much water. So wet. I'm so wet, Luke," she panted as she wiggled to the edge of the vanity, pressing against him.

Luke began to pull on her pants, and Lorelai abandoned her efforts to push herself up enough for him to yank them down. "I was in you," he growled into her ear.

"You were in me," she whispered back, finally managing to free him from his clothes. She guided him to her, rubbing the tip of his straining cock against her wet folds, letting him know just how much she wanted him. "I want you in me now."

Luke squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, letting his body adjust to the feel of her soft flesh teasing him. She parted her legs further, dragging the tip of him along the length of her sex as she moaned softly in appreciation of his hardness. She positioned him at her entrance, and he pushed forward blindly, desperate to recapture his dream.

"Luke," Lorelai whispered into the pitch back room, letting her head fall back as he filled her, pushing himself into her to the hilt.

"Oh, yes," he breathed as that familiar sensation came rushing back to him. He kissed her sweetly, drawing her lips against his, savoring the moment.

Lorelai locked her legs around him, holding him fast as one kiss melted into another and then another. Luke circled his hips, his body begging for permission. Lorelai relaxed her legs a bit, but continued to kiss him as he began to move slowly inside of her.

"You feel so good," she whispered against his lips.

"You're beautiful."

"Luke," she sighed, flushing with pleasure at his words, her heart racing with desire.

He began to move faster, no longer able to hold back the demands of their joined bodies. He closed his eyes, trying to tamp it down, unwilling to let this end, afraid that it would never happen again. Lorelai kissed him again, capturing his ragged breaths, tasting him over and over, wishing she could taste herself on his lips. "Next time," she breathed into his mouth.

Her words spurred him. He pushed into hr harder and harder, driven by a primal need to claim her. He ducked his head and sucked hard on the tender skin of her throat. "Promise there will be," he demanded against her skin.

"Oh, yes, Luke yes," Lorelai panted.

He drove into her, pushing her back onto the vanity more and more with each powerful thrust. Lorelai made a soft squeaking sound in the back of her throat as she tightened her legs again, her muscles clamping around him. She called out his name as she climaxed, and he pressed his lips to hers, to muffle her cries, kissing her softly as he continued to stroke her. She clung to him, holding him deep inside of her, feeling his muscles bunch under her fingertips, coiled for release. He filled her with a rush of heat, emptying himself into her as he gasped for air, struggling to fill his lungs.

Lorelai reached up, smoothing his rumpled hair with her finger, soothing him as his knees shook. "Shh, shh," she whispered.

"Me shh?" he chuckled breathlessly.

"Wow," she said with a soft laugh.

"Uh huh," Luke managed to grunt, afraid that reality was about to come crashing down on him.

"Was it on the table?" she whispered.

"What?"

"My kitchen table?"

"Chair," he answered gruffly.

"Ah," she murmured.

"You had a pretty pink gown thing on," he told her.

Lorelai reared back and blinked in his general direction, cursing the darkness for making it so that she could barely make out his face. "Was it short with little ruffles on the bodice?" she demanded.

"Shh," Luke reminded her. "Yeah, I guess."

"You stole my dream," she hissed, giving him a playful swipe on the chest.

"Well, you told it to me," he argued in a harsh whisper.

Lorelai smiled into the darkness as she tightened her arms around his neck and hugged him close. "Wait until I tell you about the shower," she whispered in his ear.

"Tell me now," he answered promptly.


	24. But Not as Pushy as She Can Be

**A/N: yes, I am obsessed with Luke's Dark Day. There, I admit it. **

**But Not as Pushy as She Can Be**

Lorelai watched as Luke closed the passenger door and trudged toward the diner door. She pressed her lips together, her heart aching as she took in his slumped shoulders and heavy steps. As the door closed behind him, Lorelai sighed helplessly. She looked into the rearview mirror and waited for a car to pass preparing to pull away from the curb. Glancing into the diner one more time, she saw Luke disappear behind the curtain. _I thought I should tell you this because we're in a relationship… You could get me to be your back-up dancer… _Snippets of what Luke had told her floated through her brain, wandering aimlessly before settling in that little part that made her heart beat speed up. _I've never told anyone this before…_ Her hand hovered over the gear shift for a moment, and then she put the Jeep in park and yanked the key from the ignition.

Hurrying up the diner steps, she ignored the warning about parking violations Taylor called after her and dropped her keys into her pocket. She walked quickly through the dining room and ducked through the curtain just as Caesar emerged from the kitchen.

"Luke's not here," he called fruitlessly.

"Yes, he is," she called back. Lorelai jogged up the stairs, her shoes clacking loudly against the wood, announcing her arrival. The apartment door opened just as she rounded the corner, and Luke gaped at her with a confused frown.

"I thought you needed to get back to the inn," he said in a bewildered tone.

Without breaking her stride, Lorelai walked directly to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Luke took an involuntary step back as her body collided with his, his arms automatically encircling her as she hugged him tightly.

"What?" he asked softly.

Lorelai buried her nose in his neck, feeling the rough stubble rasp against her cheek as she breathed in the scent of soap, french fries and yes, meat. _Bacon, if she wasn't mistaken. Sausage too. And burgers, delectable, juicy burgers,_ she thought with a contented sigh.

"Lorelai?"

Lorelai reached behind her and pushed the door closed before she grasped the bill of his cap. She gently lifted it from his head and let it fall from her fingers to the worn wood floor. Threading her fingers into his hair, she massaged the base of his neck lightly and then wound his too long curls around her fingers as she lifted her head.

Luke's eyes searched hers questioningly as she stared deep into fathomless blue of his. She licked her lips, trying to find the words she wanted to say, yearning to ease some of the pain and regret she saw there. When the words failed her, she did the only thing she could do. Lorelai leaned forward, pressing her lips to his tenderly, trying to convey everything she wanted to say. Luke kissed her back, savoring the sweet taste of her lips. She pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes once more. When she saw the wheels turning in his head and the unspoken questions soundlessly forming on his soft lips, she shook her head and pressed her lips to his again, drawing on his bottom lip gently.

Lorelai pulled back and raised her hand to his face, cradling his rough cheeks in her soft palms. She brushed her fingertips over his brows, smoothing them into place, using the pad of her thumb to erase the worried frown that creased them. Her fingers trailed over his temple and swept over the tiny creases that fanned around his eyes. She saw his confusion melt away as he instinctively leaned into her touch, asking for more. Lorelai kissed him again, pressing her lips firmly to his and sighing softly as he yielded, taking her in. She ran her tongue lightly over his bottom lip before touching the tip of it to his, knowing that once she did, it would be a done deal.

No one knew better than Lorelai the potency of Luke's kisses. _Or maybe it wasn't just Luke, maybe it was the two of them together,_ she mused as their tongues began that same slow, sensual dance. They had to be careful with the kisses; keeping them to quick pecks wasn't simply a matter of keeping their affection for one another appropriate in a public setting, it was a matter of keeping it legal. And he felt it too. They laughed about it, snuggled deep down in his bed, talking softly, their lips irresistibly attracted to one another's as their bare skin kissed softly beneath the sheet. There was no such thing as just kissing for them. Not that they didn't indulge in some kissing. They did. Often. Sometimes for hours. There were nights spent supposedly watching a movie in which they barely came up for air. And then there were those lonely nights spent apart, when the memory of those lingering tastes of one another wreaked havoc with even their best intentions to catch up on sleep. As far as she was concerned, it was a damn good thing that they had just decided that there didn't need to be too many of those nights spent apart. It meant more kissing.

He angled his head, opening his mouth wider and taking her deeper as she clung to him, trying to hang onto him as tight as she could. It didn't matter if he had to go to bed early and get up early. It didn't matter if it meant hauling her clothes around town in a duffle bag. It didn't matter if that meant that his t-shirts and sometimes his underwear got kicked under her bed or mixed in with her piles of laundry. Actually, she liked that. She liked that his things were starting to get tangled up with hers, just as his tongue was tangled with hers and her fingers were hopelessly enmeshed in her hair. She liked sharing his space. More importantly, she liked sharing hers with him. Sometimes she liked to pin the blame on the kisses. Who could possibly resist those heady, delicious kisses that saturated every fiber of her being? What else could possibly explain this insatiable need to simply be near him? _Surely there were no two people as firmly entrenched in the solitary lives as me and Luke, and now look at us, _she thought as she sucked gently on his lip and pulled away.

His eyes were dark and heavy lidded with desire. Lorelai was gratified to see that the ghosts that had haunted them just a short time before were gone. She felt a surge of satisfaction almost as good as an orgasm rushing through her veins. _I make him happy. At least, happier,_ she corrected. _I want him to be happy. I want to be the one to make him happy._ Her lips curved into a smile as he dipped his head again and kissed her gently, clearly not satiated yet. A purr of pure feminine pleasure reverberated in her throat as she pressed into him sinuously, determined to make him see that he was no longer alone, wouldn't be alone if she could help it. Lorelai gathered the back of his shirt in her hands and pulled it up as she tipped her head back, allowing him to plunder her mouth with hungry kisses. She yanked the t-shirt from his waistband and then pushed them both up, pressing her palms to this smooth, hard back and fanning her fingers over his skin greedily. "You can have your dark day, but today you're still mine," she whispered to the ceiling as he devoured the creamy soft skin of her neck.

"Huh?" Luke asked, pausing momentarily in his attentions to lift his head.

"Nothing," Lorelai said softly as she cupped the back of his head and pressed him back down to her neck. She had to fight to keep from physically kicking herself in the shin. _He had forgotten._ _Maybe just for a moment, but in her arms, he had forgotten, _she chastised herself.He had let go of the pain that edged his voice and threatened to cut out her heart. He had opened himself up enough to tell her why. And she knew him well enough to know just how much it hurt.

His lips danced over her skin, his tongue lavished her with attention, and his teeth ravaged her with desire. Lorelai arched into him, rubbing against him shamelessly. Her single-minded desire at that very moment was to give herself over to him; to give him enough so that the pain of what he didn't have might not ache so deeply.

Luke lifted his head and pushed her jacket from her shoulders as he stared down at her. "Where were you headed when you saw me acting like a lunatic?" he asked gruffly.

"Post office," she whispered as her jacket slid to the floor.

"I have some stamps you can have," he said softly.

A slow, satisfied smile curved her lips as she pulled the front of his t-shirt from his jeans and pushed it and the flannel up over his stomach. "Good. I'd much rather play Post Office with you any day," she murmured.

Luke raised his arms, letting her strip them over his head. She smoothed his hair back into place and then let her hands trail lazily over his cheeks to his neck and down over his broad shoulders. "Can you stay a while?" he asked, his voice raspy with need. Without waiting for an answer he reached for the hem of her sweater, his fingertips grazing the delicate skin beneath it.

Lorelai ran her hands over the hard planes of his chest and then pressed her palm to his heart, feeling it pulse against her. "Luke, there was kissing, I don't really see this ending any other way," she teased. Luke fingers froze and then fumbled with the hem of her sweater, as a stricken look crossed his face. Lorelai pulled back in surprise as he hesitated. "It's okay, we don't have to do anything," she said quickly.

"No," he said in a rush of breath. "I mean, yes," he amended as he kissed her heatedly, pushing her sweater up over her stomach. They parted only long enough for him to pull it over her head, and then his lips were on hers again as his nimble fingers unhooked her pants. Lorelai's tongue circled his, pulling him deeper into her mouth and sucking on it gently as the rasp of her zipper filled the silent room.

Luke pushed her pants and panties down over her hips and tore himself away from her to sink to his knees, working them over her thighs as she shimmied a little to aid the process. She grasped his shoulders as he lifted each foot, pulling them free from her shoes and then whisking her pants, panties and socks away. He rose up on his knees, kissing his way up her smooth, silken thigh, nipping at her hip, and then pressing his face into the soft curve of her stomach as he inhaled deeply. Lorelai wound her fingers into his hair, holding him against her as he wrapped his arms around her, banding her to him. She held him for a minute, swaying gently as he pressed into her, smiling as his long eyelashes tickled her skin.

When he looked up at her, there were questions in his eyes again, but this time she had the answers. Lorelai slid her hands from his hair to his shoulders and tugged lightly to get him to stand up. Once he gained his feet, she bent her head and went to work on his belt. Luke stood passively, letting her unbuckle, unbutton and unzip his jeans.

Unbidden, the words came back to him. _I don't really see this ending any other way, _she had said, her eyes warm and her cheeks flushed with pleasure. _I don't want you to die, _Luke remembered saying late one night, knowing even as his voice cracked that it wasn't what he really wanted to say._ This is life, son. I've never seen it end any other way,_ his father had answered with a weak smile, letting him know that he understood what hadn't been spoken.

Luke could swear he heard the steady beep of the monitors as she pushed his jeans and briefs down over his hips. When she knelt to untie his boots, he released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and heard only the soft whoosh of a respirator. "I need you," he said in a voice rough and gravelly.

Lorelai's head jerked up and her bright blue eyes bore into his as she said simply, "I'm here."

Luke blinked rapidly, trying desperately to remember if he had spoken the words aloud to his father, or if he just knew. He watched as Lorelai pulled his boots off and then discarded the rest of his clothes. She looked up as she ran her hands over his taut thighs, pretending not to notice the obvious waning of his arousal. She stood up and took his hand in hers, leading him slowly over to the bed. Luke watched as she pulled the neatly tucked blanket and sheet away from the jumble of pillows he kept just for her. She sat down on the edge, still holding his hand tightly in hers as she swung her legs up onto the bed, and then gave him a little tug, pulling him down with her. Luke climbed into the bed on what was now her side. He fell back onto the mountain of pillows and pulled the covers up over them as he turned his head to look at her.

Luke's eyes crinkled at the corners as he chuckled softly. "I'm all messed up," he confessed.

Lorelai shook her head slowly and said, "You're just sad. It's okay to be sad, Luke, you loved your dad."

"Yeah," he said as he turned his head and stared up at the ceiling, swallowing the lump in his throat. Lorelai waited, rubbing her lips together nervously as she waited for him to say something more. Luke blinked a few times. "I'm so messed up that I have a beautiful, naked woman in my bed in the middle of the afternoon and all I can see is that little green blip scrolling across the screen," he said hoarsely, tracing the line of a heart monitor in the air with his index finger.

"I like being naked with you," Lorelai said as she scooted closer to him. "You feel good." Lorelai ran the arch of her foot along his shin, letting the hair on his legs tickle her instep.

Luke turned to look at her again. "You feel good. I feel good with you."

"Good," Lorelai answered with a grin.

Luke rolled his eyes and then reached across his body to hook his hand under her. He hauled her on top of him and smiled as she giggled in delight and surprise. Lorelai shook her hair back from her face and stared down at him as she said, "Well, hello."

"Hey."

Lorelai toyed with the soft hair on his chest as she looked up at him coyly and said, "You are the only man I have ever known who can haul me around like a rag doll."

Luke snorted and said, "Hardly."

"I mean, I'm not exactly tiny," she explained. "You're strong," she cooed playfully.

"Yeah, I'm a regular Hercules." Luke pushed her hair back from her face with both hands as she folded her forearms over his chest, pressing her thighs against his. "Ever think maybe the guys you dated before were all wimps?" he asked.

"I'm thinking so now."

His eyes fell from her eyes to her lips and lingered there for a moment before meeting hers again. Lorelai smiled at the blatant invitation and lowered her lips, grazing his with the barest of kisses. "Tease," he whispered.

"Taste," she countered, kissing him again with only a tiny bit more force. "I love kissing you."

"We've had this discussion before," he pointed out, nipping at her lips gently.

"Worth repeating," she murmured and then kissed him firmly, as if sealing their fate.

Luke wound his arms around her and pulled her down as his mouth moved ravenously against hers, drinking her in with each kiss. Lorelai moved her arms up to cradle his head as she tilted her head, taking more and more of him in as she began to move against him. With each swirl of her tongue, she felt him fill and grow harder against her stomach. With each caress of her lips she eased the ache in his gut and erased painful memories from his mind. Her heart beat against his, a steady strum with no blips or beeps. She enveloped his senses; cushioning the hard edges of reality with her soft body, drenching bitter memories in her sweet scent, and blanketing him in the surety and strength of her desire for him.

Her lips never left his as his hands stroked the length of her back, pushing the blankets down until they pooled at the swell of her bottom. His fingertips traced her every curve, memorizing the slight indentations above her ass, cataloguing each vertebrae as they trailed up her spine, and claiming the delicate strength of her shoulder blades as his own. Her hips circled lazily, toying with his erection trapped between their bodies as she pressed her legs the length of his. He rubbed the top of his foot against the soft skin of her arch, mesmerized by the friction of their barely moving bodies.

And then she shifted, pressing deeper into the kiss as she lifted her hips and forced her weight onto her elbows. Luke kissed her ardently, desperate to convey his needs, praying that they were hers. When he felt her brush warm and damp against the tip of him, he groaned his plea into her mouth. Lorelai moved against him teasingly letting their bodies play against one another until they could find their own way home. She pulled back, smiling softly as he pressed to her entrance at last. Luke hands skimmed to her hips and then grasped her firmly as he pushed her down onto him. His breath rushed from his lungs in a long ragged stream as she sank down, taking him slowly into her heat, wrapping him up safe and tight.

The moment he was fully sheathed in her, Lorelai sank against him once more and buried her face in his neck. She peppered his stubbly skin with tiny kisses as she closed her legs against his, holding him inside of her. His hands stilled on her back as she toyed with the ends of his hair, her breath warm and moist against his neck. They lay locked together for a moment, breathing in sync as they basked in the sensation of being so intimately joined. Finally, Lorelai kissed his neck softly and began to circle her hips ever so slightly.

"What complaints did you have about me?" she whispered against his ear.

Luke smiled at her attempt at sexual extortion. "I can't have this all the time," he answered promptly.

Lorelai smiled as she nuzzled his neck contentedly. "Pretty much anytime you want it, though," she pointed out.

"That's why they were very few," he said as he began to guide her hips with his hands. "I want you all the time. And, not just like this," he confessed.

Lorelai smiled happily as she pushed up on her hands and peered down at him. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes," he answered, knowing that no matter what she thought he meant, 'yes' was always the right answer when it came to Lorelai.

"Yes," she repeated, pushing off with her hands and bracing them against his chest as she drew her knees up to straddle him.

"Just keep saying yes," Luke whispered as she rose above him, letting her head fall back as she adjusted to the feel of him in the new position. He reached up and pressed his hand to the valley between her breasts, feeling her heart speed up under his caress.

"Oh, yes," Lorelai said breathlessly as she raised her head and locked eyes with him. "Yes," she repeated as she rose up, letting his cock slide to her very entrance, and then plunging down on him.

She saw his breath hitch and repeated the move once more before she began to ride him with long, sure strokes. Luke watched, letting her take the lead as his hands roamed over her greedily, taking what she so willingly offered to him. He cupped her breasts, enjoying the feel of the soft mounds as they brushed against his fingertips and bounced in his palms. He caressed her stomach and hips, reveling in the fluid, feminine shape of her. He stroked her ass, urging her on as the soft little warning moans escaped her lips.

"Yes, Luke," she breathed as she felt her climax burning low deep inside of her. "Yes!" she cried out as it burst into flame, engulfing them both in a wave of heat that melted his reserve. He surged up into her, thrusting his hips wildly as she continued to ride him, her muscles squeezing him tight and deep inside of her. He spilled into her, her name ripping from his throat in a voice so raw that she actually flinched at the sound of it.

Lorelai stared down at him as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly, his fingers curling into the soft flesh of her hips as he clenched his teeth together. Her heart stopped for a moment and then tripped back into action, pounding until it caught its regular rhythm. She collapsed on top of him and showered his face with kisses, all the while murmuring, "No, Luke, no."

"Yes," he whispered, pushing her hair back from their faces blindly.

She kissed his lips softly and then said, "It's supposed to feel good."

Luke chuckled breathlessly and said, "Any better and it might kill me."

"Look at me," she ordered softly. When he opened his eyes she stared into them intently, trying desperately to find the words to ease his pain, to let him know that he wasn't really alone. "I think it's going very well, you and me. Do you think it's going very well?" she asked, an edge of nervousness coloring her voice.

Luke blinked as he looked up at her, seeing the need to console him etched in the tiny line between her brows. "I think it's going very well," he said in a voice rich and deep with affection. He ran the backs of his fingers along her soft cheek and closed his eyes again as he whispered, "Very, very well."

Lorelai nodded and then slowly said, "I understand about tomorrow. It'll probably kill me to stay away, but I understand." Luke opened his eyes again and eyed her apprehensively as he waited for the 'but' he knew was coming. "But," Lorelai added with a meaningful stare, "Wednesday, you're mine again. Deal?"

"Deal," he said gruffly.

Lorelai nodded once and then pressed a soft kiss to his lips. She then let her hands slide along the sheet until they were buried under the pillows and her nose rested in the crook of his neck once more. She straightened her legs against his, still holding him inside of her as she shifted carefully. "I should get up and go back to work," she murmured as she rubbed the tip of her nose against him.

"Me too," Luke said softly as he held her tight.

Lorelai closed her eyes and pressed her lips to the pulse that throbbed in his throat. "In a little while," she murmured drowsily.

"Yeah, in a little while," he agreed as the afternoon sun filtered through the windows, bathing the bed in light. He peeked at her through narrowed eyes and asked, "You'll stay here tonight?"

"Yep," she answered easily. "Don't forget to call Mrs. Thompson and apologize."

"I won't," he assured her as he closed his eyes again.

Luke trailed his fingers in lazy circles, tracing tiny patterns on her back as the sunlight filtered red-gold behind his eyelids. He sighed contentedly, relishing the soft weight of her pressing him into the mattress. He inhaled the strawberry scent of her shampoo and realized that there was no possible way that the following day could be as dark as the ones that came before.


	25. He's Toast

**A/N: For Craig, because without Crazy Internet People, I would be lost.**

**He's Toast**

_Stare at the toaster. Stare at the toaster. For God's sake whatever you do don't look up. Don't look up! Dammit, you looked up! You're toast, man, toast!_

"I can give you tea and a Balance bar," he countered gruffly.

Lorelai blew out an exasperated breath. "Please, please, please tell me you're kidding."

Luke sighed and set the toaster down, happy to have the opportunity to turn away. "I'm kidding."

"You're sick."

"Yup." _If only you knew,_ he thought as he grabbed the coffee pot from where he had stashed it in the kitchen.

"You're a sadist, you're a fiend!" When he turned back to her with the pot in hand, she beamed and cooed, "You're pretty."

"For here or to go?" _To go, to go, please say to go,_ he chanted inwardly.

"To go, please," she answered.

"You wanna know what this stuff does to your central nervous system?" he groused as he reached for a carry out cup.

"Ooh, do you have a chart? 'Cause I love charts," she drawled.

"Forget it, kill yourself," he grumbled as he slid the cup across the counter. "So what happened this morning that was so awful?" he asked as he resumed tinkering with the toaster.

"Rory started Chilton," Lorelai said with a sigh.

"Really?" Luke asked. He couldn't stop himself. Honestly, he couldn't help it. He looked up. He couldn't help it; he eyed the clingy pink tie-dyed t-shirt and alarm bells went off in his head.

"Yeah," she muttered. Lorelai looked up and saw the strange look on his face. "What?" she asked defensively.

"That's how you dress to take Rory to Chilton?" he asked, unable to resist rubbing it in a bit. _Rubbing it in,_ he thought with a laugh. _I wish._

"No, but…" she began.

"I mean, that's a fancy school," he pointed out.

"My clothes were at the cleaners, and I had the fuzzy clock and it didn't purr on time," she cried.

"It didn't purr?" _Okay, I really couldn't help that. I had to ask,_ he reasoned.

"It's fuzzy. It purrs." Lorelai huffed and began gathering her coat and dry cleaning from the stool next to her. "You know what, never mind. I gotta go. I had a plan, damn it," she muttered under her breath.

Luke focused his attention back on the toaster. "Me, too. Next time you're getting tea," he said without looking up.

He extracted the charred piece of toast that had been trapped in the toaster and tossed it onto the back counter as he let out a relieved breath with a whoosh. Just as he was congratulating himself on surviving the onslaught, he looked up and saw her open the door to her Jeep.

A surge of lust coursed through him, setting his nerve endings on fire as he stared at the eighteen inches of slim, tanned thigh those ridiculous shorts bared. "Oh God," Luke groaned as his eyes dropped to the cowboy boots. "Too soon, you looked up too soon," he whispered as he envisioned those boots somewhere in the vicinity of his ears, and his hands sliding along that mile and a half of smooth tanned skin.

"I can make you purr," he murmured as he watched her bend over to rearrange the slippery dry cleaning bags. "Please do that again," he prayed under his breath.

Luke felt the tightening in his jeans, but was incapable of tearing his eyes from her as she climbed into the seat. The ragged hem of her shorts rode up a little higher and an involuntary and decidedly unmanly whimper escaped his lips.

The sound jolted him from his reverie, and a blush immediately flooded his cheeks. Luke turned back to the toaster and scowled at it, counting the seconds until he knew it would be safe to look up without running the risk of ogling his friend.

****

Visions of tie-dyed t-shirts and Daisy Duke shorts tormented him for the rest of the morning. And the boots. Luke couldn't even let himself think about the boots. If he did, his brain automatically detoured into what would undoubtedly be considered un-friend-like territory. A guy simply wasn't supposed to trace the tops of his friend's boots with his tongue. He wasn't supposed to spend hours thinking about what her calves would taste like, was he? He was pretty sure that he definitely wasn't supposed to imagine what the heels of those stupid boots would feel like when they dug into his bare back.

Instead, he delivered BLTs and patty melts and doggedly ignored the urge to drop down on his knees and beg her to wrap those insanely long legs around him. He refilled coffee mugs and topped off water glasses, never letting on that all he wanted to do was chew his way through those skimpy cut-offs. Throughout the lunch rush, he managed to pretend he wasn't pushing that t-shirt up over that flat, golden stomach.

He was good at it, the pretending. He took orders while picturing the creamy white skin of her breasts, knowing from his sightings of her at the lake just where the tan lines from her bikini would start and stop. He flipped burgers and pretended he wasn't picturing flipping her over onto her stomach and doing unspeakable things. He rang up customer after customer, thanked them for their business, all the while he thanking God for giving her such a perfect ass in tight jeans.

It was simply one of those days, and Luke knew it. Most of the time, he was pretty good at tamping down on the unbridled lust he felt when he looked at her. After all, he wasn't some seventeen year old boy with a raging hard-on anymore. She was his friend. He liked her, respected her, genuinely cared for her and for Rory. Deep down he knew it was wrong to think of her that way, but even deeper down he knew there was no way in hell he could help it. Especially on days like today. _It'll pass_, he told himself as he cleared vacated tables. _It always does. She'll come in wearing chain mail and say something annoying, and it'll pass, _he assured himself. _And we'll just be friends again. She'll pester me, I'll sneak her decaf. Yeah, decaf. I'll give her decaf the next time she comes in. That'll teach her to tease a guy with those damn shorts. And the boots. Decaf for the rest of the week for the boots._

_****_

Luke froze when he saw her walk through the door that afternoon. _Jesus, God, shit on a shingle!_ he cursed silently. _Seriously? First the shorts, and the boots and the legs and now this? The flippy skirt? Are you trying to kill me?_ his brain screamed at her.

"What are you doing here?" Luke felt a moment of relief as the words tumbled from his lips, happy that his mouth had somehow managed to play the voice of reason without his brain's input. He knew that at the moment, his brain was not about to be much help because all thought processes moved decidedly southward the moment he spotted those legs again.

"See, now, that's why you were voted Mr. Personality of the New Millennium. Where's your crown?" Lorelai asked, lifting the messenger bag from her shoulder as she strolled to the counter.

"I just mean you don't usually come in at this time," Luke said gruffly as he turned to the coffee maker.

"Well, I have to pick up Rory from school," she explained. She frowned as Luke poured her some coffee, no questions asked and no commentary offered. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"No lectures?" she asked suspiciously.

"My blood sugar's low. I'll eat an apple and get back to you," he promised. _Like an apple's gonna help, _he thought derisively.

"Hmm," Lorelai hummed as she took a sip of her coffee. "God, this has been one hectic, bizarro day for me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. This morning with the being late, and my mother with her existing," she added with a pointed stare. "Oh, and this father, this father from Chilton, he, uh, drove out to the inn all the way from Hartford just to ask me out," she said casually. Lorelai watched carefully as Luke flinched slightly, and felt a rush of satisfaction when he schooled his features again.

"Really? You going?" he managed to ask as he focused too intently on the lunch receipts in his hand.

A small smile twitched at the corners of her lips. "No. He's got a kid in school with Rory, and the whole thing just seemed a little weird."

"Oh, good," Luke answered, forcing himself to let the air trapped in his lungs out slowly and carefully.

"Good?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow challengingly.

Luke glanced up momentarily, but immediately looked away from her bright blue eyes. "Yeah, I think it's good that you turned him down."

"Okay," she drawled.

"I mean, he's probably old, right?" Luke winced inwardly at his own justification, knowing it sounded lame.

"Old?"

"Yeah. I mean, he's got a kid in high school."

"Well, so do I."

"Yeah, but you were young when you had Rory. Most people aren't that young. Most people are, uh. . ." he trailed off, seeing no possible way to actually win this argument.

"Old."

"Yeah."

"Like this guy who asked me out," Lorelai reiterated, unable to resist baiting him a bit.

"But you're not going," he reminded her as he dared to take another peek.

Lorelai met his gaze and confirmed, "No, I'm not going."

Luke nodded and looked down at the tickets in his hand. When he looked up through his lashes, he saw her lips curve into a smile. Emboldened by the near miss, and by the small smile lighting her eyes with pleasure, Luke dove in. "Would you like to have dinner with me?" he asked, not daring to look up at her.

"With you?" Lorelai asked, stunned by the bold invitation.

"I'm not a dad," Luke said as he put the pile of receipts down and braced both hands on the counter, leaning toward her slightly.

Lorelai blinked rapidly as she stared up at him, her mouth agape. "Uh," she managed to grunt as she took in his broad shoulders. Her eyes dropped to the fine dusting of dark hair on his forearms as she fumbled for words. "You are older than me."

"A few years," he conceded as he splayed his fingers on the countertop and pushed into them, his knuckles turning white as he waited for her answer.

"Dinner?" she asked as she looked up at him questioningly.

Relived that she hadn't said 'no' flat out, Luke nodded and said, "Tomorrow night. I know you'll be busy with Rory tonight, but I can pick you up at about seven tomorrow."

"Seven?"

"Earlier or later, no problem," he offered with a shrug.

"Did I say yes?" Lorelai asked with a puzzled frown.

Luke's smile was slow, spreading across his face warm and a little rakish. "You didn't say no," he pointed out.

Lorelai jumped when the cell phone in her purse rang. "Oh, that's me." Luke turned and pointed to the 'No Cell Phones' sign, but Lorelai pointedly ignored him as she pulled the phone from her purse. "Ugh." She answered the call with a supercilious stare. "Hello? Hi Babette. What? Okay. No. No, I'll be right there. Thanks," she said as she hung up. "Um, I have to go," she told him, fumbling in her purse for her wallet.

Luke held up his hand to stop her. "Keep it. I gave you decaf."

Lorelai scowled at him as she shoved her wallet back into her purse and hurried for the door. The bells chimed as she turned to take one last look at him.

Luke crossed his arms over his chest and stared back at her unflinchingly. "Seven?"

"Seven," she muttered under her breath and ducked out of the door.

Luke scooped the pile of receipts from the counter and dropped them into the drawer beneath the register. He turned back to the coffee maker, plucked the carafe holding the decaf coffee from the burner, and dumped it back into the carafe rimmed in orange, all the while humming 'I Got Spurs that Jingle Jangle Jingle' under his breath.

****

Lorelai's mind was a million miles away as Rory and Lane recounted their first of school without each other. Feeling guilty for her inattention, she offered to take the girls into Hartford on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that they could hang out together while she was at class. Soon Lane polished off her slice of pizza and announced that she was late for dinner. She procured Rory's crust by invoking some tofu based sympathy and took off toward the antique store.

Without Lane as a buffer, Lorelai had to force herself to pay closer attention as Rory bemoaned her encounters with the dreaded Paris. She made all the right noises, offered all of the wrong suggestions for how to get rid of the scourge of Paris, and willingly gloated as she basked in her daughter's brilliance.

Lorelai paused as they passed the diner and she saw Luke cleaning off the tables. "Hey, what do you think of Luke?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you think he's cute?" Lorelai asked. _I do! I do!_ the little voice inside her head shouted, waving her teeny tiny arm and practically pulling a Horshack.

Rory's eyes widened as she took Lorelai's arm and dragged her from the window. "Oh, no. No way."

"No way what?"

"You cannot date Luke."

"I said nothing about dating Luke," Lorelai insisted.

"If you date him, you'll break up, and we'll never be able to eat there again," Rory said adamantly.

"I repeat, I said nothing about dating Luke."

"Date Al from Pancake World, his food stinks," Rory grumbled as they crossed the street.

"I cannot believe what I'm hearing. Al's food does not stink, Al stinks," Lorelai joked nervously. She paused as they stepped up onto the opposite curb and turned to face her daughter. "I have a date with Luke. Tomorrow."

"You have a date with Luke? How? When did this happen?" Rory demanded.

"Today. This afternoon. He asked, I didn't say yes, and now he's apparently picking me up at seven tomorrow for a date," she explained in a rush

"Wait, you _didn't _say yes?" Rory asked with a puzzled frown.

"I didn't say no either," Lorelai said desperately.

"Do you want to have a date with Luke?" Rory prodded.

"I don't know," Lorelai confessed as she turned to glance at the diner. She saw Luke step out onto the stoop and flip the sign to 'closed' before wandering back into the diner.

"Yes," she answered, grimacing as she turned away from Luke's retreating back to face her daughter again. "Is that bad? It's bad isn't it? I can break it," she assured Rory quickly. "I'll break it. See if maybe Al is free instead," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. She took Rory's arm and began to quickly walk away from the diner.

"You have a date with Luke," Rory said in an awed tone. "I never thought he'd do it."

"I don't have a date. Breaking it, remember?"

"Aw, you can break it, you'll break his heart," Rory said sadly.

Lorelai snorted. "No, I won't."

"He's liked you for a long time," Rory said knowingly.

"We're friends."

"Do you want to go out with him? Do you want to be more than friends?"

Lorelai stopped walking, jerking Rory to a halt. "Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, I think I do. I mean, I like him," Lorelai admitted.

Rory nodded once and gave Lorelai a tug as she began to walk toward the house once more. "What are you going to wear?"

Lorelai smiled as she glanced over at Rory affectionately. "I thought I'd wear what I wore to school this morning," she teased.

"Excellent choice. That outfit goes anywhere," Rory agreed with an emphatic nod.

****

At precisely seven-ten the next evening, Luke knocked on the door. "Coming!" Lorelai called as she hurried down the stairs barefooted. "Hi! Almost ready," she assured him breathlessly as she pulled the door open.

Luke smirked as he looked down at her pink polished toes. "I'm pretty sure the place we're going has one of those shirt and shoes signs."

"Sorry," she said as she fled to the living room in search of her black strappy sandals.

Luke stepped cautiously into the living room. "Is Rory home?" he asked, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"Library with Lane," Lorelai answered, one high heeled sandal dangling from her fingers. She dropped to her knees in front of the couch to search for the left shoe.

Luke bit the inside of his cheek hard as she bent forward, her short black skirt riding up to reveal the supple flesh of her smooth thighs. Frantically, he tried to decide how long he could survive on just the air trapped in his lungs because he was fairly certain that he had just forgotten how that whole breathing thing went. "Uh, can I help?" he asked gruffly.

"I can see it but I can't quite reach it," Lorelai answered as she pressed her cheek to the floor, lifting her bottom into the air.

"Oh, God," Luke breathed. "Um, here, let me," he said as he knelt behind the sofa and lifted the ruffle to peer underneath it.

"No! Don't look!" Lorelai cried in a distressed voice.

"Geez, Lorelai," Luke huffed as he saw the accumulation of crap shoved under her couch. He closed his fingers around the sandal and pulled it from the wreckage. "This place should be condemned," he muttered as he sat back on his heels.

Lorelai scrambled to her feet, pushing the hem of her skirt down as she skirted the end of the couch and stopped in front of him. She wrinkled her nose and said, "Yeah, pretty bad, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Luke managed to grunt as he forced his eyes to travel higher than her narrow waist. _Oh no, don't stop there,_ he admonished himself as his gaze lingered a moment too long on the soft curve of her breasts beneath the snug pale green sweater she wore. He held up the shoe as his eyes met hers. "You look nice," he said in a low voice.

"Thanks," Lorelai answered, mesmerized by his intent stare. She licked her lips nervously as she plucked the sandal from his hand and dashed for the safety of the other side of the couch. "I knew there was a reason I was supposed to say 'no' to tonight," she rambled as she dropped down onto the cushions and began to wriggle her toes into the shoes.

"Oh?" Luke asked as he stood up.

"I should be in class. It's Tuesday," she reminded him.

"Oh, man, I forgot."

"No big deal, it was cancelled anyway. The professor sent an email this afternoon," she explained as she slipped the straps behind her heels. What she didn't explain was her intention to skip class if it hadn't been cancelled. With a satisfied smile, Lorelai stood up and asked, "Ready?"

Luke's eyes lingered too long on the long, tan legs showcased by the strappy high heels. Lorelai frowned as she looked down. "They don't look right?" she asked in a perplexed tone.

"Perfect," Luke murmured, not realizing that the thought had escaped his internal censor.

Lorelai's smile was brilliant as she preened a bit. "Really?"

Luke cleared his throat as a pink flush crept up his neck. "Well, the boots would look better," he tried to joke.

Lorelai laughed, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. "I almost wore that outfit."

"You should have," Luke replied, embarrassed further by the noticeably husky timbre of his voice.

Lorelai blinked, jolted by the shiver that ran up her spine. "Liked that, did you?" she asked curiously.

Luke chuckled and cleared his throat again. "Uh, yeah."

"Wow. Who knew that Luke Danes has a thing for Daisy Duke?" she teased, hoping to break the tension that hummed noisily between them.

"She did have a Jeep," he pointed out.

"Is it the car? Are you after my car?" Lorelai gasped, pressing her hand to her heart.

"No, that's not what I'm after," Luke said, his dark eyes meeting hers.

Lorelai's smile faded as she tilted her head, trying to read his mind. "No?"

"No," he answered quietly.

Lorelai's brow furrowed. "Luke, are you hitting on me?" she asked at last.

Luke reared back at her direct question. "Uh, I asked you out," he began slowly. "That would, um, imply some interest."

"How much interest?" she asked boldly.

"A lot," he answered honestly.

Lorelai stared back at him, lost in the dark warmth of his blue eyes and the smoldering fire she would swear she saw in their depths. Her mouth went dry and she swallowed hard. _Oh man, it would be so nice to get…_ she cut off the thought before it could go too far. She licked her lips nervously and said, "Well, uh, we should get to it. Dinner, I mean," she corrected quickly.

"Dinner," Luke repeated with a nod. When she hesitated, he stepped back and lifted his arm in a gesture for her to precede him. Lorelai nodded as she started for the door, jumping only slightly when she felt the warmth of his hand in the small of her back.

"So, um, where are we going?" Lorelai asked, daring a glance at him from the corner of her eye as they walked down her porch steps.

"There's a new Mexican place in Woodbridge, I thought maybe we could try that," he suggested.

"Sounds great," Lorelai said with an enthusiastic nod. _I could use a margarita. Or six,_ she decided. _Okay, not six. That would be too much, and I am pretty sure I want to be conscious at the end of this date,_ she reasoned. She turned to look at him as he opened the passenger door of his truck. "You look nice. Did I tell you that?" she asked, smothering a little giggle.

Luke smiled as he offered her his hand to help her into the cab of the truck. Once she was settled on the bench seat, he leaned in slightly and said, "The healing powers of a bath, right?"

Lorelai colored as he slammed the door shut and trotted around the hood. When he climbed into the seat, she turned to him with a sheepish smile. "Heard that, huh?"

"I hear a lot of things," Luke said as he put the key in the ignition. He gave her a small smile to assure her that he hadn't been offended and said, "Thanks for noticing."

"Anytime," Lorelai answered with a grin.

They chatted haltingly on the way to Woodbridge, keeping to the safer topics of town meetings, and the denizens of their fair burg. "So, Taylor after you about the Harvest Festival yet?" Lorelai asked, hoping to inspire a rant.

"Always," Luke answered with a nod. "The season may change, the annoyances don't."

Lorelai nodded and stared through the windshield, stealing surreptitious peeks at his wrist as he draped his hand over the top of the steering wheel. _It's a wrist. How hard up are you?_ she asked herself. _But look at that wrist. It's attached to that arm. And that hand. Lucky wrist._

"Lorelai?" Luke called, trying to capture her attention.

She startled a bit and then turned to him. "Huh?"

"Did Rory's first day go okay?" he asked again.

"It was a little bumpy," she admitted. "It's going to take some adjustment, you know, socially. Stars hollow High and Chilton are very different schools."

"Yes they are."

"You went to Stars Hollow High, right?"

"Yes, but I've done all that I can to block those years from my memory," he said with a wry smile.

Lorelai grinned and turned in her seat a little. "Was it bad?"

"Isn't every high school bad?"

"Were you a nerd?" she asked in a low, conspiratorial tone.

Luke snorted. "No."

"A burnout?"

"Hardly."

"Motorhead, geek, slut, blood, waistoid, dweebie?" she queried.

"Nope."

Lorelai gasped and said, "You were a jock!"

"Not really."

"You either are or you aren't," she accused.

Luke pulled into a spot near the restaurant and set the parking brake. He turned to her and said, "There are some who would argue that guys who run track are not jocks."

"Aww. You were a geek sporto," she said, her voice dripping with sympathy. "I bet you wore your letter jacket."

Luke rolled his eyes and reached for the door handle. When he spied Lorelai doing the same, he reached over and put his hand on her leg to get her attention. "I'll get that," he told her, and then he was gone.

Lorelai stared down at her thigh, sure that there would be a scorch mark on her skirt. When he opened her door, she jerked her head up and turned to him. "You are hitting on me, right?"

"Yep," Luke answered as he stepped back, offering his hand once more.

Lorelai slipped her fingers into his palm, and almost moaned when his fingers closed firmly around them. He closed the door, but kept her hand safe in his grasp. "Is that, I mean, should I not?" he asked frankly.

"No. Yes, I mean, you can, that's fine." she stammered. "That's good."

"Good." Luke nodded. "Hungry?" he asked as he nodded to the restaurant.

"Boy, am I," she breathed as he led the way to the door, her fingers clinging to his as they wove their way through the parked cars.

****

How they made it through dinner, she'll never know. Not that it was bad. _God, no. It was good. Too good. _The food was great. The sangria flowed as freely as the conversation. The tension ebbed and flowed around them. Sometimes sizzling like the skillet that delivered her fajitas. Sometimes, it seeped in slow and stealthy like the punch her wine held. Sometimes it arced between them, building like the crescendo the mariachi band worked up to at the end of each song.

By the time Lorelai drizzled honey over her sopapillas, Luke was unabashedly enraptured. She basked in the heat of his gaze as she licked the sticky honey from her fingertips "Want some?" she asked with exaggerated innocence.

"Yes."

"Here," Lorelai said as she pushed the plate a little closer to him.

"That's okay," he said with a low chuckle, and took another sip of his beer.

"Let me," she said as she tore off a corner of the pastry with her fingers and drizzled it with a generous amount of golden honey. She bright blue eyes were amused as she reached across the table to offer it to him. She half expected him to take it from her fingers and eat it. The other half was not disappointed as he leaned forward and opened his mouth, his lips grazing her fingertips as he pulled away, chewing slowly.

"Thank you," he said, holding her gaze.

"You're welcome," she said softly, unable to tear her eyes from his. When she saw a smug smile curve his lips as he lifted his beer glass, Lorelai narrowed her eyes and lifted the same fingers to her mouth to finish cleaning them off.

Luke set the glass down a tad too forcefully and asked, "You ready?"

"I am," she answered, even though she was not entirely sure what she was agreeing to.

Lorelai finished her dessert as Luke settled the check, and then they stood to leave. Lorelai swayed a bit on her high heels, and he reached for her elbow to steady her. "Okay?"

"My foot's asleep," she confessed as she swayed into him.

"Sure it's not the sangria?" he teased.

"Are you insinuating that I'm drunk?" she asked, clearly affronted.

"Not at all," he answered smoothly.

"I'm not," she assured him. "I'm warm. Maybe a little fuzzy, but nowhere near drunk."

"Good."

As held the restaurant door for her, Lorelai asked, "What now?"

"Um, we could see a movie," Luke said with a shrug.

Lorelai thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you mind if we see what's playing at the BWR? Rory should be home by now, and I don't want to be too far away."

"Sure, no problem," Luke said as he took her hand in his again.

Lorelai smiled, mentally measuring the breadth of his shoulders as she followed him through the maze of parked cars once more. When he opened the passenger door, she hesitated for a moment before climbing in. Luke's brow creased as he turned to look at her questioningly. "I can take you home if you want," he said slowly.

"Your home?"

"I meant yours," Luke said quickly.

"And I meant yours," Lorelai said, listing her chin a bit.

Luke sucked in a breath as he saw the clear invitation in her eyes. He started to respond, but instead found her lips pressed to his. Instantly, he wrapped his arms around her, hauling her against him even as he propelled her back against the open door. Her mouth was soft and yielding, her breath tinged with wine and honey, her tongue tentative as it touched his lower lip. He felt his body seize and then surge and pulled away as if he had been seared. He stared down at her, his jaw working as his eyes bore into her with laser precision. "Are you sure?" he asked at last.

"I'm not sure of anything," she confessed.

"I should take you home," he said gruffly as he stepped back.

"Oh no! I take that back. I'm sure I don't want to go home," she said quickly.

"Maybe not my place," Luke said as he gestured toward the seat, encouraging her to get into the truck.

Lorelai gnawed her bottom lip as she watched him walk slowly around the hood of the truck. She saw him draw a deep breath before yanking on the door handle, and heard him expel it as he climbed into the truck. She turned to him and asked, "If we did go to your place, what would happen?"

Luke turned and stared at her, incredulous. "We'd play Parcheesi," he said dryly.

Lorelai's smile started slow and grew until it wreathed her eyes. "I love Parcheesi."

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "I don't have Parcheesi," as he cranked the engine.

"We could pretend. I'm an awfully good pretender," she said with a nod.

"You are?" he asked as he began to back out of the space.

Lorelai nodded and said, "Yep. I just convinced you that I didn't want you to take me home and take all my clothes off. See? You bought it."

Luke stomped on the brake, jerking them to a halt just before he took out the bumper of the Corolla behind them. "Whoa, boy," she laughed as she clutched the dashboard.

Luke blinked rapidly, trying to be sure he had heard her correctly. "Pretending?"

"I do it a lot. I'm not entirely sure if it's polite to ask for a jack omelet, coffee and a side of diner guy," she said solemnly.

Luke jammed the truck into first gear and cranked the wheel as he muttered, "You've got nothing on me."

"Oh, you like to pretend too?" Lorelai asked as she reached over and placed her hand on his denim clad thigh.

"I'm tired of pretending," he said as he wheeled out of the lot and headed toward Stars Hollow.

The certain knowledge of what was about to happen hummed along with the tires on the pavement. Neither said a word as the needle edged higher and higher on the speedometer. Only when she squeezed his leg gently, did his let off of the gas and offer her a small smile of gratitude.

"That would have been a hard ticket to get out of," Lorelai commented quietly. "Mr. Danes, where are you going in such a hurry."

"I wouldn't fight it."

Lorelai nodded and turned her attention back the road. "Best not to fight it."

They sped on through the dark night; his headlights directed resolutely toward home, their thoughts their own. As they passed the sign welcoming them to Stars Hollow, Luke slowed dramatically and blew out a soft breath. His hands tightened on the wheel as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Do you want me to take you home?" he asked quietly.

Lorelai shook her head imperceptibly and without looking at him whispered, "I want you."

Luke caught his bottom lip between his teeth and bit down none too gently, trying to fight back the rampant desire racing through him. "I want you too," he said at last, turning into the alley behind the diner and pulling to a stop near the back door.

He killed the engine and her hand slid reluctantly from his leg as he opened the door and lunged from the cab. There was no easy trot or slow deliberate walk. He all but sprinted to the other side of the truck, jerked the door open and pulled her down into his arms, his lips blindly seeking hers and finding her cheek before they hit home.

Lorelai clung to his neck, winding her fingers into his hair and pulling him closer still as she parted her lips. The keys clutched in his hand bit into her back as his tongue plundered her mouth. She bowed back under the assault, and then leaned forward, desperate for more as he pulled away. "I want you," she said breathlessly.

Leaving his arm wrapped securely around her back, Luke drew her away from the truck and slammed the door with his free hand. He jingled his keys in his palm, trying to find the right one by touch, and failing. With a grunt of frustration, he released her as he bent his head under the dim security light and sorted through them. Lorelai took full advantage of the opportunity and caught his earlobe with her teeth, letting them rasp over it before sucking the soft skin into her mouth gently.

Luke dropped his keys, negating all of that hard work, and pinning her up against the door. "Don't do that," he said, his voice hoarse with need.

"I couldn't help it. You were right there."

Luke captured her lips in a crushing kiss, pushing against her, his arousal evident and insistent as he pressed into her hip. Lorelai's hands slid down over his blue oxford cloth shirt, her nails raking the material against his chest as she gave as good as she got. "Oh God, I want you," she exhaled in a rush as he pressed hungry kisses to the taut muscles in her neck. He sucked the tender skin into his mouth and laved it with his tongue, causing her to purr low and soft in her deep in her throat.

"Yes, purr," he murmured as he dipped his head and scraped his teeth against her collarbone. "All day yesterday," he groaned as she arched away from the door, pressing her breasts into the hard wall of his chest.

"You thought about me," she whispered confidently.

"Legs, skin, boots, me," Luke managed to string each word along as he rained wet open-mouthed kisses over her neck.

"Take me upstairs," she ordered as she curled her fingers into the crisp fabric of his shirt. "For God's sake, take me."

Bracing one hand on the Luke, Luke literally pushed himself back, wresting his body from the intoxicating allure of hers. He stooped to pick up his keys, and leaned forward, covering the soft skin above her knee with his mouth. Lorelai jumped as if she had been shocked. Her hands flew to his shoulders, grasping handfuls of his shirt and jerking it upward.

"Sorry," he breathed as he pushed to his feet.

"Save it," she said as she stepped aside, nodding to the lock on the door impatiently.

Luke quickly sorted his keys and slid the correct one into the lock. The tumblers turned and clicked loudly in the deserted alleyway, and the hinges protested vehemently as he pulled the door open. Lorelai ducked under his arm and hurried into the entryway, following the light at the top of the wood paneled staircase as if it were a beacon. Luke shot the bolt home again and followed her, closing the distance between them in three long strides. His hands caught her hips in a vain attempt to halt the tantalizing sway of them as she steadily mounted the stairs.

Lorelai stopped suddenly, almost knocking him back as she turned. Luke reached on hand toward the wall to catch his balance and looked up at her questioningly.

"It's not just sex, right?" she asked as if she already knew the answer.

"Hell no," Luke confirmed.

She reached for his hand and pulled it from the wall, holding it behind her as she tucked it into the small of her back. "Hurry," she said as she started up the stairs again.

They burst through the apartment door the moment the latch gave way. Lorelai walked Luke in a small circle, pulling him with her as she kissed him feverishly. His hands reached for the hem of her sweater as he unerringly guided her in the direction of his bed. He pushed it up over her stomach, flattening his palms over her skin as his tongue circled hers. Thos same palms boldly grazed her breasts as he pushed the fabric higher, drawing her tongue into his mouth and sucking it gently before pulling away.

His chest heaved as he yanked the sweater unceremoniously over her head. Lorelai's breasts all but spilled from the demi-cups of a powder blue push up bra. "Beautiful," he managed to murmur before ducking his head and kissing the top of one soft mound.

"Small," she whispered self-consciously.

"Perfect," he countered as he trailed his tongue along the edge of her bra. He licked softly at the sweet valley between her breasts and then pressed his nose to her, inhaling the scent of her perfume.

"Oh, please," Lorelai breathed as he showered her other breast with soft kisses.

Luke tilted his head and captured the hardened nipple that pressed insistently against the lacy cup. He drew it into his mouth even as his fingers released the clasp of her bra. Lorelai moaned as he pulled back to look at her and the cool air kissed the sensitized skin. Then she cried out softly as his hot mouth closed over her. She laced her fingers through his soft hair, tugging on it lightly as he pulled her deeper into his mouth.

"This is nuts. I shouldn't want you this much," she said helplessly as she felt the straps of her bra slide down her arms and fall at her feet.

"No," Luke agreed as he moved to her other breast and began the assault on her senses all over again.

"How am I going to look at you again?" she wondered as her fingers curled into his scalp. "How am I going to look at you and not want you?"

"Welcome to my world," Luke said as he raised his head and brought his lips to hers again. They kissed greedily, each trying to take their fill. Lorelai pulled his shirt tail from his jeans and slid her hands under it, only to whimper in frustration when she encountered his undershirt instead of the smooth, hot skin that lay beneath.

"Off, off," she said as she grappled with the thin cotton barrier. "All of it off," she demanded.

Luke chuckled at her impatience and pulled both shirts up over his head. He yanked his hands free of the cuffs and then tossed the tangled clothing aside carelessly. He pulled her to him, groaning as her bare breasts molded to his chest. Lorelai glanced behind her and then grasped his arms, kneading the muscles appreciatively as she walked three more steps back to the bed. When the back of her knees bumped the mattress, she dropped down onto it and immediately attacked his belt buckle. "I said all of it," she said as she looked up at him teasingly.

"I thought you meant both shirts," he answered with a smirk, standing docilely in front of her as she opened the buckle, dipped her fingers into the waistband of his jeans and popped the top button open.

"I meant everything," Lorelai said pointedly as she looked up at him and pulled on the denim, releasing the button fly with a series of satisfying pops. She pressed her palms to the open vee of his pants and smoothed them over his hips, easing the jeans down over his boxer briefs.

"Hang on," Luke said as he covered her hands to still them.

"I'm barely hanging on as it is," she complained.

"One sec," he promised as he stepped back and bent to untie his boots. He toed them off quickly and then skinned his jeans down over his muscular thighs.

"Ah, yes," Lorelai said with a nod. "Shoes."

Luke stripped off his jeans and socks and then knelt beside the bed. Cupping her calf in his hand he lifted one foot from the floor and gently slid the strap of her sandal over her heel. As it clattered to the floor, he tenderly massaged her leg, his fingers caressing the smooth skin reverently. Lorelai sucked in a breath as he lowered his head and kissed her knee softly. Her toes curled as she pressed her foot to his stomach, feeling the soft hair against her arch. Her breath came faster as she wet her lips. Luke slowly lowered her foot to his thigh and lifted her other leg. Once again, her shoe clattered to the floor as he ran his fingertips teasingly over her skin. Once again, he pressed his mouth to her kneecap. This time, she moaned softly, telling him of the ache that burned deep inside of her.

Luke skimmed both hands over her legs, inching higher with each caress, driving her wild with each stroke of his callused hands over smooth skin. Her breath hitched in her chest as he rose up on his knees, working his way steadily higher, inching the hem of her skirt up little by little; letting his fingertips trail lazily to her ankles before pressing his palms to her demandingly for the next pass. His thumbs teased her inner thighs, his fingers spread further and further beneath her skirt.

"Take it off," Lorelai whispered as she pressed her toes to the cool wood floor and lifted her hips from the bed.

"No," he answered with a slow shake of his head. He pulled his hands back up to her calves and then wrapped his fingers around them, lifting her feet as he pushed her back across the bed.

"Luke," Lorelai gasped as he pushed her skirt up to the tops of her thighs.

He opened his mouth and pressed it to the inside of one thigh, feasting on the golden flesh that tormented his days and haunted his nights. "God, I want you," he murmured against her skin as he moved higher still. He inhaled deeply, drinking in the scent of her arousal as his nose grazed her panties.

"Yes," Lorelai cried softly, pushing her hands into the mattress and lifting her hips. "Oh, yes," she moaned as he pressed his lips to the damp satin that covered her. "No," she whimpered as he began to kiss his way back down her thigh.

Luke smiled as he lifted her leg, letting his tongue tease the tender skin at the back of her knee. Lorelai writhed, torn between arousal and ticklish laughter. She leaned forward and grasped his head with both hands, the smile on her face belying her stern glare. "Sorry," he said with utter insincerity.

"You will be," she threatened as she pulled him back up, guiding him to the pulsing heat between her legs.

"Yeah, punish me," Luke said in a hoarse voice. He pressed his mouth to her again, tasting her on the slippery fabric that did absolutely nothing to withhold evidence of her arousal. She slid his tongue along the satin, circling it against her with maddening deliberation.

Lorelai pushed back, her head dangling over the edge of the mattress as she braced both heels on the bed and pushed up against him. Luke reached for the elastic that encircled her leg and jerked it aside impatiently. He pressed his tongue to her clit, circling it slowly as she gasped above him. She circled her hips, her body begging for more, and he was more than happy to provide it. He licked her hungrily, drawing her clit into his mouth and sucking greedily before releasing her to plunge his tongue into her folds.

"Luke, now, now," she panted as she tugged at his hair.

He hummed his resistance against her, pushing her directly to the brink as it vibrated through her. He pushed her thighs further apart and plunged his tongue into her, teasing her with maddening strokes. Lorelai cried out as she broke, pushing against his demanding tongue wantonly as she whispered his name over and over again.

Slowly he eased the tension in his fingers, knowing that he had probably left marks on the tender skin of her thighs. He kissed her gently, bringing her down slowly as she shuddered with the aftershocks of her orgasm. "Oh my," she whispered as he pressed his lips lovingly to the red marks his fingers had imprinted on her legs.

"Mm hmm," he hummed with satisfaction.

Lorelai gave a breathy laugh and said, "Sorry, jumped the gun. Been a while."

Luke chuckled as he continued to kiss her thighs, his hair brushing against her as he alternated legs, sure to give equal time and appreciation. His hands travelled the length of both legs, over and over again.

"Leg man, huh?" Lorelai asked softly.

Luke laughed again and looked up with a sheepish smile. "Could ya tell?"

"Maybe a little."

"You came in wearing those shorts yesterday. Thos shorts should be outlawed," he said gruffly as he pressed into the mattress and pushed himself up.

"You don't like them?" she asked innocently as he knelt on the edge of the bed and reached to pull her up onto it lengthwise.

"You can't wear them in public," he said with a pointed look. "Look what happens."

"Oh no," she said in mock horror.

"I might have to insist. First that poor schmuck that you turned down, thank God, then me."

"Oh, so it was just the shorts? Just yesterday?" she asked, running her hands over his arms as he loomed over her.

Luke lowered his body to hers, trapping her beneath his weight. "Yeah, just since yesterday," he said with a smirk.

"I don't believe you," she said shrewdly.

"Smart lady," he said with an approving nod as he lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her deeply and then whispered, "I want you. I've wanted you for a long time."

Lorelai nodded and then said, "Might be a little hard for you to have me if you insist on keeping your underwear on."

Luke promptly pushed up once more and knelt between her legs as he pushed his boxer briefs down over his hips. Lorelai purred as she reached down to stroke the rigid length of him. She ran her thumb over the velvet tip of his cock, and sighed softly as she collected the drop of moisture there.

Abandoning his briefs, Luke reached for her hand and pulled it up to his lips. He placed a moist kiss to her palm and said, "I really don't want to jump the gun. Ruin my rep as a track geek."

Lorelai smiled her understanding and nodded as he released her hand and went back to shedding his underwear. Once he kicked them off of the end of the bed, he resumed his spot between her long, silken legs and sat back on his heels; his erection jutting proudly as he brushed his fingertips against her damp curls. He watched her carefully, trying to memorize the way she looked when he touched her like that, cataloging each shortened gasp as he stroked her there, and basking in every tiny moan as he began to drive her up once more.

Lorelai watched him through heavily lidded eyes, noting the arrogant lift of his lips, committing to memory the way his face softened in wonder each time she moaned her pleasure, and waiting patiently until she was sure he would be hers. She circled her hips, pressing against his fingers urgently until he gave in and allowed one to slip into her. Lorelai smiled her triumph as he closed his eyes, clearly enraptured by the feel of her closing around him.

"Luke," she whispered.

He fought to open his eyes, his fingers plunging into her as if he were unable to stop himself. He wet his lips, but no words came out.

"I want you inside of me," she said softly. A strangled groan ripped from his chest as he pulled his fingers from her heat and leaned forward, catching his weight on his hands. Lorelai shook her head and said, "Lie down."

Luke squeezed his eyes shut and then shifted onto his side, letting her slide out from under him on the narrow bed. She shimmied out of ehr skirt and panties as he moved onto his back and looked up at her, his eyes wide as she straddled his hips. He swallowed hard, trying to wet his dry throat. "I won't, I might not," he rasped as she wrapped her fingers around his stiff shaft. "Lorelai…"

"Shh," she soothed as she guided him to her entrance.

"Oh God," he ground out as she sank slowly onto him. "While. Won't last," he said in a rush as her wet heat closed around him, holding him deep inside of her.

"Then we'll be even," she answered with a soft smile as she began to ride him slowly. Lorelai was rewarded with a series of tiny grunts as she found a steady rhythm. She braced her hands on his chest and leaned forward, moaning as the shift in position afforded her the friction she craved. "Oh, yeah," she breathed as Luke began to thrust up into her, meeting each stroke.

"You feel incredible," she panted as she began to ride him faster.

"Guh," he choked as she tightened around him even more.

"So good, so good," she chanted as she pushed back against him.

"Lorelai," he rasped as his control snapped and he flooded into her, filling her with hard, hot bursts.

"So good," she drawled as she tossed her head back and pushed harder.

"Come, come," he gasped as he gripped her hips, pushing her onto him urgently as she reached for her release. He felt her tense, her muscles coiling in preparation for the flood of pleasure. "Jesus, Lorelai," he groaned as she clenched around him.

Lorelai's breath caught on a squeak, and then she moaned long and low as the waves of her climax washed through her, turning her bones liquid as she sagged against him. Luke caught her, lowering her to his chest and wrapping her up tight in his arms. "Dear God, yes," he breathed into her ear.

Lorelai slid her legs out from under her, straightening them alongside his as she buried her nose in his neck. He stroked her back, trailing his fingertips along her spine and then letting them swirl lazily over the sweet curve of her perfect ass. "Thank you for not saying no," he mumbled.

Lorelai's satisfied smile made her eyes twinkle as she raised her head and peered down at him. "My pleasure. Twice, actually." When he chuckled, she kissed him lightly on the lips and said, "Next time I'll wear the boots," she whispered.

"The, uh, sandals work too," he said gruffly.

"What wouldn't work?"

"Pretty much nothing," he admitted.

Lorelai smiled contentedly as she toyed with the bits of hair that curled behind his ear. "I purred."

Luke smiled up at the ceiling and cradled her head to his chest. "I know. Pretend you didn't hear it. I don't wanna get up yet," he said as he pressed a soft kiss to her hair. "You wore me out. I'm toast," he added, chuckling at his own joke.


	26. A Bump in the Right Direction

**A/N: I would like to dedicate my complete and utter disregard for Rory's existence in this chapter to Jewels, who taught me everything I know. I couldn't be bothered to try to make any sense of where she would be or what she would be doing, so I just ignored her. Yes, I know this has a lot of dialogue from the show, but I simply couldn't deprive you of reliving the joy…**

**A Bump in the Right Direction**

"I won't stay out in that cabin one more second. I demand a room in here," Emily said imperiously.

"We don't have any rooms in here, Mom. They're all taken," Lorelai desperately tried to explain.

"Then bump someone," Emily commanded.

"Can't you and Dad just talk about it?"

"No, you stop it right now! This is none of your business," Emily said firmly.

"What happened? Was it Floyd's lawsuit?"

"Lorelai, just give me a room."

"I don't have a room, Mom."

"You don't have a room for your mother?"

"I have a room for my mother. It's the room my mother's in."

"That's not a room. That's a practical joke."

"No, it was a chance for you and Dad to do something special," Lorelai said, her frustration bubbling over.

"Fine. If you won't find me another room, then I'll just sit in there until tomorrow," Emily said in a haughty tone as she walked into the parlor. She spotted Jason Stiles sitting in a wingback chair and murmured, "Jason."

"Emily," he replied cautiously.

"Do you have a room?"

Lorelai grunted as she rushed stepped into the parlor and said, "No, Mom, he doesn't. He just showed up here, because, apparently, it's Blake Edwards night at the Dragonfly."

The front door opened and Richard stepped inside. "Emily?" he called. He pulled up short when he spotted former partner and his frown deepened. "Jason?"

"Richard," Jason acknowledged with a nod.

"He has a room," Emily said as she pointed accusingly at Jason.

Richard whirled and glared at his daughter. "Are you trying to kill us?"

"Oh, my god," she cried, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

Richard turned back to Emily and said, "I packed our things. I think it's time to go."

"I am not going anywhere with you," Emily said stubbornly.

"Fine then. I'll have the bellman put your suitcases back to the room. Goodnight," he wished them stiffly. Richard turned back to Lorelai and said, "I hope you've had your fun."

"Oh, yeah, it's been a blast," Lorelai muttered as Richard closed the front door behind him.

"I will not stay in that godforsaken cabin," Emily declared.

"Can I get their room?" Jason inquired hopefully.

Instead of dignifying his question with an answer Lorelai narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, "Jason, go home."

She turned on her heel and stalked off to the kitchen. The door swung shut behind her and Lorelai clenched her fists as she hummed the scream that she was dying to let loose.

"That didn't sound good," Sookie commented as placed a perfectly kneaded and shaped lump of bread dough into a loaf pan and covered it.

"My mother refused to go home with my father, but she also refuses to sleep in the honeymoon suite. Jason Stiles is still parked in the lobby and refuses to leave! But I am happy to report that my father is on his way home, he just happened to leave Mom here."

"Oh no," Sookie said as she turned back to Lorelai.

"I just want them to go, just go!" Lorelai said through gritted teeth. "Hey, maybe I can get Jason to give my mom a ride home," she suggested.

"Sounds like they may have had a bit of a blow up if he left, and she refused to go with him," Sookie said with a wince.

Lorelai sighed, "I know."

"You know, you could always ask someone to switch rooms with your mom," Sookie suggested.

"Yes, she wants me to bump someone," Lorelai said as she plucked a walnut from one of the prep bowls and popped it into her mouth.

"Well, don't bump Taylor. He's already filled out a half dozen comment cards, just at dinner," Sookie said as she pulled a handful of cards covered in Taylor's neat print from the pocket of her tunic. "I suppose that Jackson, Davy and I could move, but we just got the portable crib set up, and I'll need to check my loaves tonight, but I could take a really bit flashlight…"

"Sook, no. You need to stay here. I need to stay here. We need to be right in the middle of things so that we can fix anything that pops up. Michel too," she murmured as she ran through the mental checklist of guest rooms. "I could see if Patty would move," she said as she gnawed the inside of her cheek.

"Or Luke!" Sookie said, her eyes widening with triumph. "Luke wouldn't mid staying out there. You know Luke, the further he is from Taylor, the happier he is," she said as she clapped her hands with glee. "Ask Luke if you can bump him."

Lorelai frowned as she considered the move. She knew that Sookie had a point; Luke wouldn't mind not being in the thick of things. _But I want him here,_ the thought popped into her head. _I want to know what that look was. I know he likes salad, but, Lord, that look. I want to thank him again for the flowers. I want to see if I can see that look again. I want him here. I want Jason gone and I want my father to come back and pick up my mother and take her home. Not to that hotel, home. _"I could ask him," she murmured, her brow furrowed with doubt.

"Oh, Luke will do it. He'll probably be glad to get away from the bathrobe brigade," Sookie giggled.

"True."

"It'll be fine, just go ask him," Sookie said with a nod as she started to knead another loaf of bread.

"Yeah, uh, okay," Lorelai said as she pushed away from the counter. She cocked her head as she watched Sookie work the dough over. "You worried about bread lines? Are we in Russia?" she asked, a smile teasing her lips.

"I just want to be sure people have lots of options for breakfast," Sookie said defensively. "I'll let these rise and then I'm going to head up to get ready for bed."

Lorelai's smile grew as she waited for Sookie to look up. When their eyes met, she whispered, "This is going to work."

"Or we die trying," Sookie confirmed as she flipped the dough over and began to push down with her knuckles.

"That's a possibility too," Lorelai said with a smirk as she pushed through the swinging door.

She smiled as she skirted the tables of friends enjoying coffee, desserts and board games, her eyes locked on the table where Luke sat playing a half-hearted game of Yahtzee with Babette. When she approached, he glanced up briefly, and then did a double take. His dark blue eyes immediately lifted to hers, and she felt her heart go pitter-patter as she felt the full force of the look. That look.

And then she slipped on a spot of spilled water. Luke immediately sprung from his chair, taking her arm to steady her as he said, "Whoa. You okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered, flashing a sheepish smile as she fought against the blush that rose in her cheeks. "I need to tell Derek to bring a towel."

"Here," Luke said as he released her arm and grabbed a discarded napkin from the table. He squatted down to wipe the water off of the floor, but hesitated. "Um, you'll need to move a bit," he said gruffly, his warm breath tickling her bare calf.

"Oh!" Lorelai quickly stepped aside as she pried her eyes from his broad shoulders. She glanced nervously at Babette and asked, "How about you? You still wiping the floor with him."

"He's a cream puff, can't roll the dice worth a damn," Babette said with a wave of her hand. "Hey, Lorelai, isn't that Jason Stiles?" she rasped, nodding toward the parlor.

"Uh, yeah," Lorelai answered as her eyes darted quickly toward the parlor and then Luke as he straightened up. "He's, um, he's not staying. He just wanted to talk about something. With, er, with my dad," she babbled.

"I see. They're still sortin' through all that stuff, huh?" Babette asked as she shook her head sadly.

"Well, you know, business," Lorelai replied quickly. She turned to Luke and asked, "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Oh, uh, sure," Luke said as he looked down at the napkin clutched in his hand.

"Well, I think I've done enough damage for one night, even though I still say that when someone beats the pants offa ya, you should hafta take your pants off," Babette said, shooting Luke a leer as she pushed herself up out of her chair. Lorelai giggled as Luke rolled his eyes and stepped back to make way for the older woman. "Goodnight, dollfaces. The place is great," she added with an affectionate smile for Lorelai.

"Thanks, Babette. See you in the morning," Lorelai said, returning the smile as they watched her shuffle from the room in her slippers. She turned back to Luke and said, "Sorry about the robes. We'll order some lined with sandpaper next time."

"Appreciate that," Luke said with a nod.

"Hey, listen, I need to ask kind of a big favor," she began, wringing her fingers as she peeked into the parlor to see what appeared to be Emily and Jason conversing politely.

"Oh, okay."

"Could you, would you mind if I switched your room?" Lorelai asked in a rush.

"My room?"

"Well, my dad had to leave, and they were staying out in room twelve, you know, the little cottage? Anyway, Dad had to leave, and Mom wanted to stay, but she doesn't feel comfortable staying out there by herself," she tried to explain.

"I see," Luke said as he stole a glance at the man sitting in the parlor. "Your dad had to leave, huh?"

"Um, yeah, some emergency meeting in the morning or something," she lied badly. "I would really appreciate it."

Luke looked into her pleading blue eyes and shrugged. "Sure, no problem."

"Oh, thanks, Luke," Lorelai said, exhaling the words along with her relief. She reached out and squeezed his arm gently. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem," he said again. "I'll just go get my stuff."

"I can have John move it for you," Lorelai said, as she looked around for the bellman on duty.

"Nah, I can get it, but you might want to have someone straighten up the room a little bit. Not that it's messy, I was hardly in there, but I did, uh, shower, you know, when I changed for dinner. The water pressure seems better," he said with a nervous laugh.

"Oh. Oh, good," Lorelai said, stammering over her words as the image of Luke stripping the flannel and t-shirt he wore earlier over his head sprung to life in her brain. "I mean, I'm glad you had a good shower." She shook her head slightly and jerked her thumb toward the reception area and said, "I'll get someone to, you know, freshen things up a bit up there and, uh, out there."

He nodded and said, "I'll go get my stuff."

Luke followed her through the parlor, both of them pointedly ignoring the man who was chattering on to Emily Gilmore about aerial photography and gnomes. Lorelai shot him a shaky smile as he turned to head upstairs, and watched as he took the steps two at a time; using the banister as a catapult and, if she knew the man at all, a means of revenge against Tom for the kibitzing comment a couple of weeks ago. After arranging for both rooms to be cleaned and fresh towels dispatched, Lorelai walked back into the parlor, only to be met with two pairs of inquisitive eyes.

She took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest. "Mom, I'm moving you to room seven, Luke will take the cabin."

"I could take the cabin," Jason chimed in quickly.

"No, Luke is taking the cabin," Lorelai replied quickly. "Luke is an invited guest."

"That will be fine," Emily said primly. When Lorelai raised an eyebrow, she pursed her lips and reluctantly said, "Tell Luke that I said thank you."

Lorelai turned as she heard him coming down the stairs. "Luke, my mother says thank you," she called out and then turned back to Emily, raising one eyebrow as a challenge.

"No problem," Luke said as he paused in the doorway holding his duffle bag. "I'll just, I'm gonna go," he said as he pointed to the door.

"Go?" Lorelai asked, panic rising in her voice as she whirled to face him. "Are you going home?"

"No, I mean, to the cabin thing," Luke said as he gestured to the door.

"If he goes home, I can take that room," Jason said as he sat up and leaned forward to place the coffee table book back on the coffee table.

"No," Lorelai and Luke answered in unison. They stared at each other for moment, and then looked away quickly.

"Luke needs to stay," Lorelai said quickly. "He, uh, he's been very involved with this whole thing."

"Yeah," Luke said with a nod. "Plus, I promised Kirk that I'd help him out. You know, with the firewood," he added as he shot Lorelai an amused glance. When Emily and Jason both looked at him blankly, he said to Lorelai, "I'm just going to put my stuff in there."

"You're coming back in?" she asked hopefully.

Luke nodded and promised, "I'll be back," as he walked out of the door.

"Lorelai, I'm very tired," Emily said with a long suffering sigh.

Lorelai nodded and said, "Let me just go see if everything is ready," as she headed for the stairs.

"I'll go with you," Emily announced as she rose from her chair and followed her daughter.

That had barely reached the top step when Emily reached for Lorelai's arm and hissed, "Are you seeing him again?"

"Who?" Lorelai asked, trying to figure out how her mother could possibly know about Luke.

"Jason!"

"Jason? No," Lorelai said, shaking her head adamantly.

"Why is he here?" Emily asked as she followed Lorelai to room number seven.

"Because my life is a farce, Mom," Lorelai grumbled as she opened the door. A quick sweep of the room confirmed that everything was in place, the bedspread showed nary a wrinkle, and the pillow mints were still in place. "Will this work for you, Madame Armfeldt?" she muttered as she moved to check the bathroom.

"Well, this weekend in the country has proved to be a terrible plot, Lorelai," Emily replied tartly as she moved to open one of her suitcases. "Even Stephen Sondheim would have a difficult time setting your machinations to music."

Lorelai flipped the switch and caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her mother's voice faded along with her own image. Instead, she saw Luke; bare-chested and muscular, unbuttoning his faded jeans as the shower ran full blast, filling the room with steam. Emily's complaints dulled to a hum as her cheeks flared with color.

"Lorelai? Are you listening to me?" Emily demanded, jolting Lorelai from her far more pleasant thoughts. "I'll need to arrange for a car to pick me up in the morning," she repeated.

"I'll make sure that you have a ride, Mom," Lorelai said, her shoulders slumping as she turned away from the bathroom.

"Oh, and I have some suggestions for the inn. I may as well give them to you now, since I'll have to leave early in the morning. Is there stationary in this room?" she asked as she began opening the dresser drawers.

"Here," Lorelai said listlessly as she opened the nightstand and pulled out one of the stationary sets she had shown to Luke months before. She dropped down onto the edge of the bed as she clicked the pen. While Emily began listing her suggestions for possible improvements, Lorelai smirked as she wrote, 'Dear Luke, you have no idea how I wish you were here.'

****

Luke stowed his bag in the small cottage behind the inn's main building, taking only a moment to give the interior an approving glance before he pulled the door closed behind him. Exercising what he considered his rights as a friend and investor, he headed directly for the kitchen door rather than following the path that led back to the front of the building. As he closed the door behind him, he lifted one hand to wave to the last remaining member of Sookie's once-overloaded kitchen staff, and inhaled deeply; taking in the soothing scent of rising yeast. When he walked through the swinging door, he found the dining area completely deserted. Burying his hands in his pockets, he peered around the corner and spotted Jason Stiles still occupying the wing-backed chair, still sipping good red wine, and obviously still waiting for Lorelai.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself to get the answers he needed once and for all, and then stepped cautiously into the parlor. "Hey. How you doing?" he asked as he approached.

"Good," Jason answered with a nod, looking up at Luke in surprise.

"Good. Luke Danes," he offered as he held out his hand.

"Jason Stiles." Luke catalogued the nuances of the greeting as Jason shook his proffered hand. The putz didn't stand up; looking up at me as if he was the king, and I'm asking for a favor, he thought sourly. _His hands are soft, no manual labor for this guy, or regular manicures, either way… But his grip was reasonably strong, obviously a guy who shook a lot of hands in the course of the week. He could be a politician. He looks a little like a politician. A little smarmy, thinks he's charming,_ he sneered to himself.

"So, I see you had the pot roast," he commented as he sat down in the chair that Emily had occupied minutes before.

"Yeah."

"Good, huh?"

"Yeah, very good," Jason agreed as he tilted his head and looked at the staircase expectantly.

"All the food was great tonight." Luke rubbed his chin and tried to achieve an easy, casual tone as he said, "So, Jason Stiles, Jason Stiles. I'll tell ya, that name is familiar."

"I'm a friend of Lorelai's."

"Yeah, me too. I own the diner in town."

Jason nodded. "Yeah, she's mentioned you."

"Has she? Well, it's nice to be mentioned," Luke said with a forced chuckle. "So, uh," he paused to clear his throat, "you know Lorelai from where?"

Jason barely bothered to look at him when he answered. "Actually, we're dating."

"You're dating?"

"Going on six months," he confirmed with a nod.

"You're dating now?" Luke felt compelled to clarify.

"Yeah."

"Oh sorry, my mistake. I thought you two had, uh…"

"Well, we hit a rough patch, but we're working through it," Jason jumped in to answer before Luke could finish his thought.

"Well, good for you," Luke said, not bothering to hide the insincerity in his voice.

"When it's right, it's right, and Lorelai and I are right," Jason said firmly.

"That's great. I'm very happy for you," Luke managed to murmur as he rubbed his hands together, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach.

"Thanks. Hey, you have any idea where the men's room is?"

"It's back through the dining room," Luke answered, hooking a thumb in the general direction.

"Thanks, it was nice meeting you," he said distractedly as he rose from his seat.

"Sure, you too," Luke mumbled.

_Dating. They're still dating. Or dating again. But if they're dating again, why isn't he here for the test run? Unless, maybe, Lorelai didn't want her mother to know that Jason was staying with her that night. Maybe that's why she put her parents in the cabin to begin with,_ he reasoned. Luke let his head fall forward as he rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. _How could I have read it so wrong? I thought she was sending the signals. They were weird, Lorelai-like signals, but signals just the same,_ he thought dejectedly. _Lorelai doesn't usually trip over nothing, or walk into doors. I can't imagine that her face lights up like that every time someone hands her some stupid flowers, _he puzzled._ Maybe it does. Maybe she just really likes flowers._

_It was stupid. The whole thing was stupid, what with the dance, and the walk home and the flowers,_ he mocked himself mercilessly. _Did you really think she was just gonna say, 'Oh, okay, I want you,' or fling herself into you ever-waiting arms? Stupid, you're so stupid. Why would she want a guy like you when she can have Mr. Mercedes and his compulsive horn blowing habit?_ he asked himself as he blew out a frustrated sigh and stood up.

As he wandered into the hallway, Lorelai approached from the kitchen. "Hey. Had to sneak down the back stairs to avoid playing Truth or Dare with Babette and Patty. Apparently they already know everything there is to know about each other," she said with a grin. She looked into the deserted parlor and asked, "The last one up?"

"No, not the last one," he answered tersely.

"You okay?" she asked as he stared down at his shoes. "I heard Babette was kicking your butt at Yahtzee."

"Actually, I'm feeling pretty stupid right now," he said dryly.

"Why?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"I'm not a mysterious man, am I?" he asked snidely.

Lorelai reared back a little at his tone and replied, "Well, the wardrobe's a bit of a head-scratcher."

"I think I've been very, very clear with my intentions," he insisted.

Lorelai blinked in surprise. "Your…"

"You know, the wedding, the movie invite, the flowers," he listed, waving his hand impatiently.

Lorelai felt the blood rush to her cheeks and ducked her head as she chuckled softly. "Luke…" she began, looking up at him with a smile.

"You knew what I was doing!"

"Well, no, not officially," she said, instantly on the defensive.

"Not officially? Oh, come on. I mean, I didn't have a ref present, but other than that," he said sarcastically.

"Well, you didn't say anything official," she pointed out.

"What was I supposed to say? I did things. I let my actions speak. That's what you're supposed to do. Your supposed to let your actions speak. That's the romantic way to do this, damn it," he said, his frustration bubbling over.

"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry," she said, trying to placate him.

"And you went along with all of it. So naturally, I assumed we were on the same page, and then your boyfriend shows up here at the inn that I invested in," he said angrily.

Lorelai blinked and shook her head. "Whoa, what boyfriend? Are you talking about Jason?"

"No, Tom. Yes, Jason!"

"You guys were talking? What did he say?"

"He said you were together. I mean, I was sitting there listening to this guy spout on and on about how it's right, you're right, he's right. The whole time, I'm thinking, 'What the hell have I been doing all this for? She's taken'" he said heatedly and then turned and walked away.

Lorelai gaped at him, trying to find her voice. "I-I'm not taken! We broke up!" she cried at last, hurrying after him as he opened the front door.

Luke stepped onto the porch and spat, "Well, he doesn't know that!"

"Well, just calm down!"

"No, I don't wanna to calm down! I did everything right!" he insisted. "I did exactly what the book said!" he said, pointing to the ground to emphasize each word.

"The book?"

Luke's voice cracked as he gestured to her wildly and said, "I thought we were on track, and now you're standing there looking at me like I'm crazy."

"I'm not looking at you like you're crazy!"

"You know the last time I bought flowers for someone? Never! That's when! Very easy stat to remember!" he ranted, waving his hand emphatically.

"I loved the flowers!" she said desperately.

"And then when I walked you home after the wedding, there was a moment. I thought there was a moment," he corrected himself.

"There was! There was a moment!" she cried plaintively. The words hung between them, hovering in the air as the light spilled through the open doorway. Their eyes met. Luke stared intently into the bright blue that haunted his days and nights, his chest heaving with exertion as he sought the answer he had been hoping for.

When he took a step closer to her, Lorelai leaned back and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Will you just stand still?" he asked hoarsely, the plea seeping through his frustration as he reached for her hip and drew her closer. His arms wound around her, one hand buried in her hair, holding her neck, and the other arm wrapped so tightly that his fingers caressed her ribcage. He pressed his lips to hers, pouring his pent up fears and desires into the kiss as his lips moved against hers.

Lorelai pulled away, her hand sliding from his neck to his shoulder and then trailing down his chest as she stepped back, her eyes locked on his as she stared in wonder at this new revelation.

She moved closer, lifting her hand as he quickly asked, "What are you doing?"

"Will you just stand still?" she asked softly as she raised that hand to his face and held him there as she went back for a second taste. Once again she found herself enveloped in the corded steel of his embrace. He deepened the kiss fractionally, holding her close to him as she clung to his waist.

This time, she pulled back, forcing herself to step from the tempting safety of his arms, away from the allure of his soft lips, a safe distance from the enticing solidity of his body. She glanced down, watching as his chest rose and fell rapidly, and then blinked in t clear her eyes as they met his again. His hand found her hip, and she raised her arms to encircle his neck as he began to pull her closer once more.

"Aaaaah!" a terrified scream rent the still night, effectively separating the would-be lovers and silencing the crickets that cheered them on. They turned to look as Kirk ran screaming down the staircase clutching a pillow over his crotch. He barreled past them and streaked into the night, naked and bellowing. "Aaaaaaaah!"

Luke looked from Kirk to Lorelai and then back again. "I'll be right back," he promised. "I'll explain later," he called as he took off down the driveway after Kirk.

Lorelai stood frozen in the doorway long after they disappeared from sight, cocking her head in the general direction of Kirk's screams as she tried to gauge their distance.

"Hey," Jason said softly. He reached out and pressed his hand to her back as he joined her on the porch, causing her to jump.

Lorelai pressed a hand to her heart as she gasped, "Jason!"

"Sorry. I thought you heard me."

"I didn't," Lorelai said, tucked her hair behind her ears as she quickly moved away from him, wondering how one man's hand could feel so different from another's.

"Did I hear screaming?" he asked with an amused smile.

"Oh, uh, yeah… It's nothing," she said with a wave of her hand, unsure of how she could even begin to explain Kirk.

"Okay," he said skeptically.

Lorelai licked her lips and then closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the feel of Luke's pressed against them. "Jason, go home," she whispered as she opened her eyes.

"I can't. The plant, remember?" he answered with a winning smile.

"There's no hope for that plant," she said as she shook her head sadly.

"There is, there is hope," he countered.

"Jason, the plant is dead," she told him bluntly.

"I think it just needs a little water, and maybe some plant food. I think we can bring it back to life," he said as he took a step closer to her.

"I have a new plant," she blurted, balling her fists as she winced and then shook her head. "I'm seeing someone new," she corrected softly.

Jason's eyebrows shot up. "Well, uh, it would have to be a fairly new plant, right? I mean, you can't be too attached to it yet," he said slowly. "Surely this new plant couldn't have grown as much as our plant did."

Lorelai shook her head as she said, "I'm dating Luke."

"Luke?"

"Luke. Luke Danes. My friend from the diner."

"Yeah, Luke, I met him tonight. Is he Duke's brother?" Jason asked with a puzzled frown.

"Luke! He's Luke. There is no Duke," Lorelai said impatiently.

"Got it," Jason said as he ran his hand over his beard, stroking it slowly. "I mean, I knew that you were serious about the coffee thing, but hopping into bed with the diner guy, don't you think that's a little extreme?" he tried to joke.

"Jason," Lorelai said in a warning tone.

"I can get a better machine, a Krupps! Krupps is supposed to make a good one. Do you want the one that steams milk too?" he asked, and edge of desperation entering his voice.

"Jason, stop," she said softly.

"It can't have been going on for long, Lorelai," he said, his voice softly pleading.

"It hasn't, but it has," she answered. "Luke and me… Me and Luke. This has been a long time coming, I think," she admitted quietly. She looked up with a weak smile and said, "I'm sorry, but I think you should go home, Jason."

He nodded as he looked away, swallowing his pride along with about fifty quippy jokes. With a nod, he started for the porch steps. When he reached the bottom, he looked back at her and asked, "We had a good time, though, right? It was right for a while."

"We had a very good time," she answered with a nod.

"Goodbye, Lorelai," he said as he dipped his head a bit, and then turned to leave.

"Take care, Jason," she said softly as she watched him walk dejectedly to his car.

When the headlights swung out of the lot, she looked up at the porch lights, watching the moths circle them hopefully as she sank into a wicker chair. Lorelai closed her eyes and tipped her head back, trying to erase the conversation she just had with Jason, trying to remember exactly what Luke's voice had sounded like as it cracked, trying desperately to recall exactly how it felt when his lips first touched hers; but she couldn't. It was all swirled together, whirling around in her head, blurring all of the memories except one. His eyes. She could see it there in his eyes.

_How could I have never seen that?_ she wondered. _How could I have looked at him every single day for the past god-only-knows how many years and never noticed? I didn't want to notice. I didn't want to see it, _she admitted with a soft sigh. _But now, now he's kissed me. He kissed me and I kissed him and we kissed. Him and me, me and him. We kissed. God, I want to kiss him again. Where is he? The town isn't even that big. Surely a former track star could overtake a scrawny naked guy,_ she thought with a frown.

"Can we get a blanket over here?" Luke called out from just beyond the circle of light cast from the porch.

"Is he okay?" she asked as she squinted into the darkness.

"He's okay, but trust me, you don't wanna look. He lost the pillow," Luke answered.

"Got it!" Lorelai said as she dashed inside and grabbed a throw from the back of the couch in the parlor. She hurried back to the front porch and leaned over the rail, tossing the blanket toward the shadowy figures lurking in the night.

Moments later, Luke emerged, half carrying a limping Kirk wrapped in the too short blanket. "Let's just get him to the couch," Luke said as they made their way slowly up the steps.

"Oh, no," she gasped as Luke helped Kirk into the lobby.

"It's okay," he assured her.

"What happened?"

"He landed butt first in Taylor's rose bushes," Luke reported as Kirk fell face first onto the couch.

"Oh, poor thing!"

"Didn't slow him down, though," Luke said with a shrug. "I managed to tackle him as he headed toward the miniature goat pen, dragged him back here, and, well, there he is. He's gonna be fine," he said with a nod as he shoved a pillow under Kirk's face.

"Well, that's good," Lorelai said with a nervous smile.

"Yeah. Sorry we were gone for a while. Or, I was. I couldn't care less if Kirk was gone," he said with a laugh.

"Yeah. Are you sure he can breathe?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh, yeah, I propped his head up," Luke said with a nod. He turned to look at her, but found her gazing distractedly at Kirk. "So, uh, you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered too quickly.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Just… Nothing you want to talk about with, er, with me or…"

"Oh!" Kirk cried out as he tried to move, clearly in pain.

"Oh my God. We need to take him upstairs," Lorelai said worriedly.

"Lulu can't see me like this," Kirk said desperately.

"But, Kirk," Lorelai started to protest.

Becoming hysterical, Kirk screeched, "Lulu can't see me like this!"

"Okay, she won't. I promise," she reassured him quickly. Lorelai gnawed her bottom lip for a moment and then asked, "Can I take a look?"

"Okay," he agreed.

Lorelai turned to Luke, panicked, and said, "I don't want to take a look."

"Well, I'm not looking," he said quickly.

"Hey! It's a party," Sookie said as she stepped of the bottom stair, tying her robe. "What's everybody doing up?"

"Aw, hey, good timing, Squiggy," Lorelai said as she rushed over to her friend.

"I was just going to check on my loaves and make sure they're rising properly. The air's a little more humid than I thought it was going to be, and if the loaves aren't rising properly, then…" she paused as Luke took up position on her other side and they began to propel her into the parlor. "What are you doing?"

"We need you to look at Kirk's butt," Lorelai told her.

"Why?" Sookie asked, recoiling slightly.

"Well, because he ran into some rose bushes, and he's got some thorns stuck in it, and I thought of you," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"Me? Why me?"

"Well, because you're a chef," Lorelai said lamely.

"What?"

"And you have a kid," Luke chimed in quickly.

"Yes, that's better. You have a kid," Lorelai said with an emphatic nod.

"Neither of us has kids. Well, she does, but it's big and…and can look at her own butt," he stammered.

"I got this, thanks," Lorelai said, cutting him off quickly.

"Okay, well..." Sookie said as she cautiously reached for the blanket. She lifted it up and peered at Kirk's butt for a moment before dropping it back into place. "Oh, oh! I'm gonna need Bactine, antiseptic, and lots of hot towels," she listed as she winced.

"I'll go. I'll be right back," Lorelai said, and then quickly fled the room.

"Ohh," Kirk groaned.

"Hey, Kirk? How are you feeling?" Sookie asked softly.

"Is Luke here?" Kirk asked hoarsely.

"I'm right here, Kirk," Luke answered, leaning over a bit so that Kirk could see him.

"Sorry I bit you."

"It's okay, Kirk."

"They were after me, so I ran away," he explained.

Sookie's brow knit as she asked, "Who was after you, honey?"

"Assassins. He thinks assassins are after him," Luke whispered.

"They were under my bed in my room, so I ran, and they followed me down the hall, down the stairs, past Luke and Lorelai kissing, through the yard, over that fence."

Sookie rolled her eyes and grinned at Luke as she said, "Well, the assassins are gone now, Kirk."

"I imagined them?"

Sookie giggled. "I think so."

"What about Luke kissing Lorelai?" Kirk asked.

Sookie chuckled and said, "I think you imagined that, too." She looked up at Luke with a grin and saw the faint blush tingeing his cheeks.

"They looked so real," Kirk mumbled as he snuggled into the pillow.

Sookie did a double take as she gaped at Luke and then grabbed Luke's arm. "Okay, Kirk, you just settle down and relax, and I'll be right back," she called as she pulled Luke toward the reception desk. When she was sure they were out of earshot, she began to bounce on the balls of her feet, waving her hands excitedly. "Ohh. Oh, my God!"

"Sookie!" Luke hissed, glancing over his shoulder to be sure Lorelai wasn't nearby.

"You kissed?" she whispered, pointing at him accusingly.

Luke fought valiantly to suppress his answering smile, but failed miserably. "Yes."

"I can't believe she didn't tell me. Why didn't she tell me?" Sookie asked in a disappointed tone.

"It just happened," Luke said gruffly.

"Ooh, Luke, that's wonderful!" Sookie said in a hushed squeal as she pulled in into a quick hug.

Luke chuckled as she pulled away and said, "Thanks."

Sookie giggled as she bounced some more and clinched her fingers. "I can't wait to tell Lorelai it's wonderful!"

Luke's eyes widened and then he looked around again before saying in a low voice, "Um, could you maybe not say anything for a little while?"

Sookie immediately stopped bouncing and asked, "Why?" in a shocked tone.

"Well, I'm just not so sure she wants this out yet," Luke answered with a shrug.

"What makes you think that?" she asked, clearly disappointed.

"Do me a favor and keep it to yourself. Let her tell you if she wants to, okay?" he asked anxiously.

Sookie nodded her understanding. "Sure. Okay. Call me Belinda, 'cause my lips are sealed," she giggled as she zipped her fingers across her lips.

"Thank you," he said with a relieved laugh.

Sookie started to walk back to the parlor and stopped. "Hey, Luke?" she called softly.

"Yeah?"

"This is good," she said with quiet confidence.

Luke pressed his lips together as he watched her go and murmured, "I hope so."

****

Lorelai fumbled around in the supply closet, trying to assemble the first aid necessities that Sookie requested, all the while muttering under her breath, "Not now, not now, don't think about it now." She grabbed a handful of washcloths and tucked them under her arm as she reached for the spray antiseptic. "You have an inn full of people here. Your mother is right upstairs, your daughter is in your room," she told herself in a low, no-nonsense tone. She grabbed a tube of triple antibiotic ointment and frowned at it. With a nod, she grabbed a handful of complimentary packs of three Q-tips and whispered to herself, "Don't stand too close to him. Don't breathe in. Just don't. Not now."

Lorelai hurried back to the parlor to drop off the antiseptic and the ointment and then said, "I'll be back with warm towels."

"I'll help you," Luke said as he followed her toward the kitchen.

"Oh God," she groaned softly, closing her eyes as she pushed through the swinging door.

Luke blinked in disbelief as the door swung between them, and then pushed it open a little too forcefully. "Oh God?" he asked, incredulous. "What does that mean?"

"Oh, Luke, not now," Lorelai said tiredly as she held a washcloth under the running water.

"Yes, now. I'm tired of waiting, dammit! You kissed me back," he accused. "You kissed me back, and now you want to act like it didn't happen."

"No, I don't," she argued, glaring at him over her shoulder.

"You won't talk to me, you won't look at me, and when I offer to help, you groan," he said angrily. "I'm not the brightest guy in the world, Lorelai, but even I know that's not good."

"Luke, that's not it at all," she began.

"I just want an answer, Lorelai. A simple answer, yes or no?" he demanded.

"Yes or no to what?" she asked evasively.

"To everything! You, me, the dating, the kissing," he said as he stepped to the sink and stared down at her until she lifted her head. When she finally met his gaze, he said quietly, "Yes or no?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"What?" he asked as he reached out to turn off the running water.

"I said yes," Lorelai repeated, her voice quavering a bit. "But not now."

"Not now?"

"I mean, I can't talk about it now. Kirk has a butt full of thorns, and my partner is out there looking at his butt, and my mother is upstairs without my father because they're separated, but they can't admit that they're separated, and I have an inn full of people, and we open in less than a week." She paused to take a deep breath and said, "I already have twenty six comment cards from Taylor, filled out front and back. I had no doors until the minute that the guests started arriving, first I had too much staff and now I have too little, and I'm pretty sure that I smell dog poop. Did you step in dog poop?" she asked.

Luke lifted his shoes and glanced at the bottoms, shaking his head.

Lorelai took a deep breath and said, "So help me God, if Michel smuggled his mutts into my inn, I'll kill him." She turned to face him, still wringing the washcloth she held in her hands. "I can't talk about it now, I can't think about it now, but all I can do is think about how much I wanted that third kiss," she told him, looking him straight in the eye.

Luke wet his lips and then said, "Me too," as he gently removed the wash cloth from her hands. He turned the water back on and held it under the faucet, letting the hot water soak it before wringing it tightly and handing it back to her. "You go, I'll get the rest," he told her.

"You don't have to…"

Luke smiled and said, "I have a vested interest, both in the inn, and you. I'll help."

"Thank you," she said softly, looking down at the wet cloth in her hands. "Thank you," she said again as she turned to hurry back to the parlor.

****

Thirty minutes later, Luke and Sookie helped Kirk up the stairs and propped him up against the wall outside of his room. "Lulu isn't naked in there, is she?" he whispered.

Kirk shrugged and said, "Sometimes she puts a nightgown on, but I can tell you that Mother would not approve of the one she brought. You can see…"

Luke held up one hand to stop him and said, "You're on your own now. Goodnight, Kirk."

"I love you, Luke Danes," Kirk whispered loudly as Luke turned to walk away.

Luke groaned and Sookie giggled as she quietly opened the door to the room she shared with Jackson and Davy. She waggled her fingers in a wave and winked broadly as she disappeared inside and Luke started down the stairs. He walked into the parlor, picked up the remaining detritus of their first aid, and straightened the pillows before heading toward the kitchen.

As he pushed through the door, he looked down at the unused Q-tip packages in his hand and asked, "Where do you want…."

Luke staggered back as Lorelai's lips covered his and she pressed herself into him. The door swung back and hit his head with a loud thunk, and Luke groaned into her mouth.

"Oh God, I'm sorry," she gasped as she began to pull away.

"I'm not," he said gruffly, ignoring the pain in his head as he dropped the Q-tips and pulled her close again. "Let's give it another shot."

Lorelai melted into him as his lips found hers and he kissed her sweetly. He pressed his forehead to hers as she stifled a giddy laugh. "What a night," she murmured.

"Yeah, big night."

"Big things happening, wow things," she agreed.

"You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that," he said in a low, raspy voice.

"Do it some more," she coaxed.

"You said not now," he reminded her.

"That was then, this is now," Lorelai answered, pulling back to look into his eyes as she tangled her fingers in the soft curls at the nape of his neck.

Luke smiled and brushed her hair back over her shoulder. "It's late, and you have to be worn out. Walk me to my door and I'll let you kiss me goodnight," he said teasingly as he took her hand and laced his fingers through hers.

Lorelai looked down at their joined hands and smiled, remembering the way his warm fingers closed around hers as he led her to the dance floor. As they walked to the kitchen door, she asked, "Then will you walk me to mine and kiss me goodnight there too?"

"If you want," he answered easily as he stood aside to let her go first.

They descended the steps in silence, their hands swinging gently between them as they strolled along the lighted path to the small cottage that served as the Dragonfly's honeymoon suite. Luke paused at the threshold and turned to face her, squeezing her hand gently as he said, "You did it. I told you that you could do it."

"You did," she breathed as she leaned in, pressing her cheek to his shoulder as he released her hand and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

"You should listen to me more often," he said in a deep, rumbling voice.

Lorelai smiled as she felt him brush a kiss to the top of her head. "You're right about a few things every once in a while," she conceded.

Luke lifted one hand to her cheek and stroked it with his thumb as she lifted her head to look at him. His expression was serious and his eyes were completely focused on her as he said, "I just want to be right about one thing."

"You are," she whispered. "Invite me in."

Luke chuckled and said, "That's probably not a good idea."

Lorelai shook her head and said, "No, it is. We need to talk."

Luke glanced back at the inn and then looked down at her. He nodded mutely and pulled the room key from his pocket.

She stood back and watched as he unlocked the door and then held it open for her, his palm flat against the smooth wood. Lorelai ducked her head and stepped into the room, her gaze drifting to the plush king-sized bed that was the room's centerpiece. As she heard the latch catch behind her, she turned and reached for his hand. Luke allowed himself to be pulled easily to her and cocked his head, waiting for her to speak.

Instead, she cupped the back of his head in her hand and pulled him down, kissing him hungrily. Luke groaned softly and murmured, "Shoulda known it was a trap," against her lips.

"Yeah, you shoulda," Lorelai answered before kissing him again, this time parting her lips in invitation.

Luke didn't hesitate. The moment his tongue touched hers, he knew he was a goner. Lorelai moaned softly as he deepened the kiss, his tongue circling hers teasingly, his hands roaming the column of her spine.

Lorelai tore her mouth from his, gasping for breath even as she dove for his neck. She sucked gently, feeling the prickle of his stubble against her tongue as she inhaled the earthy scent of the cologne he had applied sparingly before dinner. "God, you smell good," she whispered as she nipped at his earlobe.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he asked.

Lorelai pulled back and looked at him boldly as she said, "That's the second time someone has asked me that tonight and this time, I can honestly answer with a resounding 'no'." She stepped back, smiling as he frowned his displeasure at the loss, and crossed her arms over her waist and swiftly lifted the hem of her sweater.

"Lorelai," Luke croaked as she whipped her sweater up over her head.

"I don't want to talk about it, not now," she said quietly as she reached for the zipper on her skirt.

Luke stood paralyzed, clenching his hands into fists to keep from reaching for her. His mouth went dry as the skirt fell to her feet. His eyes dropped, focusing on her feet as she stepped from her shoes and she stood in front of him in nothing but her bra and panties.

"Luke?" she whispered as she wiggled her pink tipped toes nervously.

"Huh?" he grunted, still staring at her feet.

"Luke," she repeated.

He exhaled long and loud as his gaze traveled slowly up over her long legs. He sucked in a sharp breath as he skipped quickly over the pale pink panties that hugged her hips, and then lingered on the flat curve of her stomach. He wet his dry lips as his eyes roamed over her lace covered breasts, and then closed them briefly before meeting her steady gaze.

"You can do this," she said with a soft smile.

"So dirty," he rasped.

"I meant it that way," she said with a sly smile.

Luke reached for her, smoothing his hand over the curve of her waist before letting it settle on her hip. "I hope you don't expect me to walk you to your room now."

"Later."

Luke ducked his head and kissed her passionately, his hands gliding over her smooth skin. He trailed kisses along her jaw as she grasped the back of his sweater and began to pull it up. "Damn good day," he murmured as he pulled back and yanked the sweater up over his head.

"The best day," Lorelai agreed as she reached for the buckle on his belt and began to loosen it.

"Getting better." Luke reached for her wrist to still it as she slipped her fingers into the waistband of his pants and opened the button. "You make me crazy," he said as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.

"It's good for you," she told him solemnly.

"You might be right," he said as he walked her back toward the bed.

"Sometimes I'm right too."

"You're right, I'm right, this is right," Luke told her, holding her gaze as he propelled her back onto the bed.

Lorelai pulled on his arms, bringing him down on top of her. As she felt the hard, solid length of him settle against her, pressing her into the soft mattress, Lorelai ran her hands up his arms to his shoulders and spread her fingers over the heated skin of his back. "So right," she purred softly.

It was right as he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her with aching deliberation. It was right as her velvety soft tongue caressed his, coaxing him deeper into the kiss, inviting him to fall into her. He braced his weight on his elbow as he ran his hand up over her ribcage, ducking his head to look at her as he cupped her lace covered breast, marveling at how right it felt to touch her so intimately. Lorelai raised one knee, rubbing the arch of her foot over the smooth, thin wool of his pants, wondering how someone she had never felt before fit so right.

He kissed her softly, drawing her lips against his, and then sinking into her sweet surrender as she met each caress of his mouth. She sighed contentedly, her fingers dancing over his back as his thumb grazed her nipple, teasing it through the rough lace of her bra. He opened the clasp, lifting up slightly as he brushed the fabric away from her body, the backs of his knuckles grazing tender flesh as she arched into him.

"Luke," she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"We're right."

"Yeah, we are," he answered as he lowered his lips to her neck and nuzzled her. "We are," he repeated as he swirled his tongue over the creamy skin of her throat.

"Is that official enough for you?" she asked breathlessly.

"I may need a ruling on the field," he said as he kissed his way down to the hollow of her throat and dipped his tongue into the tantalizing dip.

"I don't know sports stuff," she said as she pressed on his shoulders, urging him lower.

"It's official," Luke answered as he closed his mouth over her taut nipple and drew her into his mouth.

It felt right, incredibly right to feel his tongue glide across her skin. It felt right, unspeakably right to press into her soft curves, moving slowly against her in an ancient dance of desire. It felt right, much more than right, to peel the remainder of their clothing away, teasing, testing and tormenting each inch of flesh unveiled. And, the feel of his skin against hers? Well, both would happily attest that nothing could possibly feel as right at that. His was the name that felt right on her lips. Hers was the caress that appeared to be the right one all along. It was right, unbelievably right to giggle when he grazed a ticklish spot. It was right, extraordinarily right to give in to the demanding push on his shoulder and hold her close as he rolled onto his back. And when she laughed, throwing her head back in delight as she pushed against his chest and straddled him triumphantly, he knew that all was right with his world.

Luke reached up and brushed her hair back, cupping her shoulder before trailing his fingers lazily over her upturned breast as he looked up at her with a lazy smile. "You're incredible," he said gruffly.

"You're pretty," she answered with a grin. Lorelai raked her nails lightly through the dusting of hair on his chest as he chuckled at her assessment.

"You're nuts."

"You're crazy about me," she told him with a smug smile as she rose up on her knees above him.

"You're right," Luke managed to grunt as she wrapped her long fingers around his stiff shaft.

"No, you're right," Lorelai whispered as she guided him to her entrance. Luke closed his eyes as she sank slowly down onto him. "Wake up, you don't want to miss this," she said in a softly teasing voice.

Luke's smile was instantaneous as he opened his heavy lidded eyes and faster than she ever imagined him moving, he rose up to meet her. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he curled his fingers over her shoulder and pulled her down onto him, watching as her eyes widened in surprise. Luke plunged one hand into her tangled curls, cradling the back of her head as she leaned back and began to move slowly. He cupped her breast with his other hand, teasing her pebbled nipple between his thumb and forefinger as she began to ride him faster.

"So good," Lorelai murmured. "We fit just right."

"Yes," he managed to hiss between his clenched teeth.

His hand slipped from her breast to her bottom, squeezing it gently as her nails dug into his shoulder. His breath hitched in his chest as she shifted slightly, rising above him only to plunge down onto him, impaling herself over and over. "Lorelai," he whispered desperately.

"Shh, almost got it right," she said breathlessly.

"Oh God," he groaned as he felt his body surge.

"Oh yes, so right," she said as a spasm of pleasure shuddered through her body and rippled against him.

"Lorelai," he gasped as she closed around him, draining every ounce of sensation from his body.

She laughed, and nothing could ever sound so right. She laughed as she slid bonelessly against him, stroking his baby fine hair with greedy fingers, and peppering his forehead and temple with tiny kisses of gratitude. She laughed as he fell back on the plush mattress, replete. She laughed, and that made him laugh, and the sound of his laughter mixed with hers struck just the right note.

"What could be wrong with that?" she asked with a feline smile as she nuzzled his ear.

"Not a damn thing," he replied with a smug smile.

Lorelai raised her head and peered down at him. "Did we do everything right? Did we do exactly what the book said?" she asked with wide eyed innocence.

"The book?" he asked, matching her innocent tone.

"You realize that I'll get it out of you someday," she teased.

"Probably," he conceded as he pressed her head back down to his shoulder. He ran his fingertips slowly up the length of her spine and whispered, "That's all right."

"It is all right," she agreed as she straightened her legs against his and snuggled into his neck.

"That was a hell of a test run," he said with a crooked smile.

"You mean for the inn, of course," she said with a chuckle.

"Of course."

"Yes, it was," she agreed. "Although, you know, until you have a successful second go-round, you really don't know if everything's gonna work."

"Then I guess there's got to be a second go-round," he answered with a smile.

"Well, yes, it's the only thing that makes really good business sense," she said dryly. Lorelai pushed herself up and propped her arms across his chest. "This is a nice big bed you have here."

"It is."

"Do you still wake up insanely early?" she asked.

Luke smirked and said, "I do."

"I was thinking," she began as she trailed one finger lazily through the soft hair on his chest.

"Yes?"

"Maybe you could walk me to my room early rather than late," she said with a shy smile.

"Yeah, I can do that," Luke said as he wrapped his arms around her, banding her to him as he rolled them over and pinned her under his weight.

Lorelai smiled up at him and said, "Thanks for letting me bump you."

Luke's eyebrows shot up and a naughty grin creased his face. "Thank _you_, for the bump," he said with a playful smile.

As he lowered his lips to hers, she whispered, "What are you doing?"

"I'll give you two guesses," he said softly as he brushed a soft kiss to her lips.

"Playing Yahtzee?"

"Try again," he murmured as he kissed her a little harder.

"Browbeating me into a kiss?"

"No," he said with a breathy chuckle. He kissed her again, drawing her lips against his.

"Pulling thorns out of Kirk's butt?"

Luke pulled back and glared at her. "Never, ever mention Kirk's butt when were like this," he said gravely.

Lorelai smiled as she pulled him back down to her. "Letting your actions speak?" she asked softly.

"Exactly right," Luke answered with a nod, and then sealed the deal.


	27. Sweet Cherry Danishes, Batman!

**A/N: **A recent survey conducted by the Hallmark Corporation showed that, when asked, what Mom's wanted most on Mother's Day was a Gilmore Girls talking greeting card, followed closely by a healthy dose of gratuitous Lorelai and Luke smut. Alas, I did not receive said greeting card, so I thought that I would try to make sure that no other mother should be disappointed on Mother's Day. Here is a healthy dose of smut with no plot, no plausibility, no declarations of eternal love, no moral to the story, and most importantly, no Jason or Nicole.

I know that this is another chapter of Slip out of the posting rotation. For those of you waiting for PG or Fallout, please direct your complaints to **Lulu1960**, **truelovepooh** and **ninjasquid**. It's their fault. They know that I am highly suggestible and they use it against me.

**Sweet Cherry Danishes, Batman!**

The bells jingled merrily as Lorelai breezed into the diner. "Oh man. Beat up the toaster again?" she asked sympathetically when she spotted Luke jamming a screwdriver into his ever-troublesome toaster.

"This damn thing stopped working."

"Could get another one," she suggested as she sat down on a stool.

"This one will be fine," he grumbled.

"Sure, as soon as it learns its place. You gonna go ten rounds with the coffee maker, or… Ooh, thank you," she cooed as he poured a mug full and slid it in front of her. "What happened to your thumb?"

"It's from the thumbprint yesterday," he grumbled as he picked up the screwdriver again.

"I thought they had inkless pads now."

"They do, Kirk doesn't."

"Right," she acknowledged with a nod.

"He hasn't even heard of them. He just uses the stuff that came in the notary kit he sent away for," he said as he began fooling with the toaster again. "I've been scrubbing my thumb for two days. I've tried soap, I've tried cleaning fluid…"

"Have you tried fire?" she asked helpfully.

"Now not only am I divorced, every time I look at my black thumb, I'm reminded that I'm divorced," he said as he glared at the stain on his thumb.

"Sorry about your thumb," she said with a sad smile.

"It's okay. I have another one," he said with a shrug.

"And you're a free man," she said with an encouraging nod.

"Yep. Free to go back to living the wild life I was leading before I was weighted down by the old ball and chain," he said dryly as he continued to pry a part of the toaster loose.

"I'm sorry you're sad," she said softly.

Luke set the screwdriver down and braced his hands on the counter. "You know, I'm not even that sad. I didn't want to be married to Nicole, I guess that's no secret," he said in a low voice. "I just feel like an idiot." He held up his thumb and said, "This is the mark of the idiot."

Lorelai nodded her understanding. "Hey, you know what might make you feel better?" she asked.

"What?"

"Handing me a cherry Danish," she said with a flirty smile.

"Well, it's certainly worth a try," Luke grumbled as he turned toward the bakery plate. As he lifted the lid, a cell phone rang in Lorelai's purse. "Out," he ordered without missing a beat.

"But I just got my coffee," she protested as she pulled the phone from her bag.

"Follow the thumb," he said firmly as he jerked his ink stained thumb toward the door.

Lorelai flipped the phone open as she stepped out of the diner. "Hello?"

"Who is this?" Rory asked.

"This is Lorelai Gilmore," Lorelai answered.

"No, this is Lorelai Gilmore," Rory said suspiciously.

"Ooh, 'Gaslight'." Lorelai said with a grin.

"So, you have my phone."

"Yes, you left it in the kitchen. You know what that means, don't you? You miss Mommy," Lorelai said with a nod.

"Yes, or that the refrigerator was empty, and I ordered food."

"Oh, that makes much more sense."

"Just hold onto it for me? I'll get it from you next time I see you," Rory told her.

"Okay." Just then, her own cell phone rang. "Ooh, hold on, hon," she said as she pulled it from her purse. ''Hello?"

"Lorelai, did you leave a scarf here last night? Hermes?" Emily asked.

"Oh, who knows, I have so many Hermes scarves that I use them as handkerchiefs," Lorelai answered with a light, tinkling laugh.

"Hey, who's that?" Rory asked.

"Your Grandmother," Lorelai answered Rory. "No, Mom, it's not mine," she told Emily.

"Well, do you think its Rory's?" Emily persisted.

"Gee, I don't know, do they sell Hermes scarves at Abercrombie & Fitch?" Lorelai asked with a snort.

"It could be Rory's," Emily insisted haughtily.

"Hold on, I'll ask her," Lorelai said with a laugh. "Sweets, are you missing a Hermes scarf?"

"Um, no," Rory answered in a puzzled tone.

"Not ours, Mom," Lorelai reported, smiling brightly as Luke stepped out of the diner carrying a plate holding a cherry Danish. "Luke's here, do you want me to ask if it's his?"

"You're at Luke's?" Rory asked, clearly jealous. "Is it Danish Day? Tell him I say hi," she instructed.

"It is that happy day," Lorelai said as she eyed the danish that Luke held longingly.

"Is Rory there?" Emily asked.

"Hey, Rory says hi," Lorelai told Luke.

"Tell her hi back," Luke said gruffly.

"He says hi back," Lorelai Rory dutifully.

"This is a sickness," Luke grumbled.

"Well, I'll be there in a minute," she promised him.

"Who are you talking to?" Luke asked with a scowl.

"My other two personalities," Lorelai answered with a smirk.

"Who is that?" Emily demanded.

"It's Luke, Mom," Lorelai said rolling her eyes. "I'm trying to get some breakfast, but I'm not having much luck."

"You're just now having breakfast? It's almost eleven," Emily said, her voice dripping with disapproval.

"This is the first chance I've had," Lorelai said indignantly.

"I wish I had a danish," Rory said pathetically.

"Yeah, me too," Lorelai said, staring at the pastry Luke held pointedly.

"I'll bring this back inside," he said as he turned to leave.

"Wait, wait! Bite," she whispered pleadingly. Luke sighed and stepped closer, pushing the danish over the edge of the plate with his thumbs so that she could take a bite while holding both phones. "Angel," she said quietly.

"A frightening picture of things to come," he grumbled as he stepped back.

"Don't go," she hissed. "Mom, it's not my scarf," she said into the phone.

"Yes, Lorelai, I understood that much from the partial conversation we have had," Emily said dryly. She sighed and said, "It must be Carol's."

"Oh," Lorelai said softly.

"I suppose I should try to call her. Or perhaps I should just messenger it over," she said pensively.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Lorelai said quietly.

"I've gotta go back in," Luke said in a harsh whisper.

"There's no one in there," Lorelai hissed as she jerked her chin up, signaling for another bite.

"Fire!" Rory called into the phone.

"What?" Lorelai asked as she tore off a hunk of danish and tipped her head back to get it into her mouth.

"Nice," Luke said with a smirk.

"Nothing. I was just feeling left out," Rory pouted.

"Oh, sorry," Lorelai said as she chewed, oblivious to the blob of cherry glaze on her upper lip.

"Lorelai," Emily called into the phone.

"I would messenger it over with a note, Mom," Lorelai said through stuffed cheeks.

"Yes, I suppose that will have to do," Emily said reluctantly.

"I'm sorry. I know that you and Carol were having a good time last night, until, you know," she said with a wince.

"Yes, well, I should go," Emily said abruptly.

"Uh, okay," Lorelai said as she swallowed hard. "No coffee?" she whispered to Luke.

"Goodbye, Lorelai," Emily said with a sniff.

"Uh, bye," Lorelai answered with a concerned frown.

"Me?" Rory asked.

"No, uh, bye, Mom," Lorelai said as she closed her cell phone and dropped it back into her purse.

"I can't take it," Luke muttered as he let the danish slide back to the center of the plate and reached out to wipe the smear of cherry glaze from her lip with the pad of his thumb. He held it up to show her the evidence as Lorelai looked up at him quizzically. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his wrist before he could wipe his thumb on the tail if his shirt, and pulled it to her lips. Lorelai closed her eyes as she sucked the sweet jelly from his skin, and then released him with a satisfied smile. When she looked up, she found Luke staring down at her, his lips parted in shock, and his eyes dark and unreadable. Lorelai blinked rapidly as he slowly lowered his hand to his side, his gaze unwavering.

"How's Grandma doing?" Rory asked worried.

"Uh, she's good," Lorelai managed to stammer.

"Good? After what happened last night?" Rory asked, incredulous.

"I mean, she'll be okay. Grandpa will fix it," Lorelai assured her as she lowered her gaze to the danish Luke still held. She looked up again to find him staring at her with slightly more than friendly look in his eyes. "More," she said softly, almost mouthing the word.

Luke raised the plate again, and she shook her head, nodding to his hand as she asked Rory, "How'd your paper go?"

"I'm not gonna feed you," he growled.

"It sucked," Rory said petulantly.

"Why did it suck?" Lorelai asked, emphasizing the word as she looked straight at Luke. She smiled as she reached up to tear a chunk of pastry from the danish.

"I just couldn't find the right hook. It didn't feel focused enough. I don't know. Professor Fleming's class is so hard," Rory complained.

"Hon, I bet it was great," Lorelai assured her as she carried the morsel to her lips. She chewed slowly, watching Luke as he watched her, flushing with awareness as his eyes fell to her mouth. She raised her fingers to her lips and licked the tips of them with deliberate care, feeling a jolt of electricity when Luke's eyes met hers, and the message that she read there was crystal clear.

"You have to say that 'cause you're my mother," Rory grumbled.

"Oh, no, I'm not. I've been looking for the right time to tell you," Lorelai joked, boldly maintaining eye contact with Luke as she raised one eyebrow.

"Okay, I have to go now," Rory said quickly.

Lorelai nodded as Luke backed toward the door, holding the remainder of the danish in front of him as an enticement. "Yeah, me too. Danish calls," Lorelai said as she stepped toward him.

"Goodbye," Rory said with a sigh. "Enjoy your danish."

"I will," Lorelai purred as she stepped back into the diner. "Bye, Hon," she said before snapping the phone closed.

"Caesar, I'll be back in a few," Luke called toward the kitchen as he walked to the curtain that cloaked the stairs to his apartment.

"Hey, where are you going with my danish?" Lorelai asked as she followed him.

Luke smirked as he backed through the curtain, holding the plate out in front of him. "I figure as long as I have this, you'll follow me anywhere," he answered, and then disappeared behind the curtain.

"I hate that you know me so well," Lorelai called after him as she reached for the swaying fabric and drew it back. Luke smirked as he stood in the narrow hallway holding the plate up for her to take. Lorelai shook her head. "Just look at you, this newfound freedom has gone to your head. You should be ashamed of yourself, using the power of pastry to seduce innocent women," she chastised as she let the curtain fall behind her.

"Yes, I'm drunk with power," he said in a deep voice. "And there was nothing innocent about what you were doing out there."

"Eating my breakfast?"

"You want a bite?" he offered, lifting his eyebrows challengingly.

"Sure," Lorelai answered, her eyes locked on his as she stepped closer.

Luke pushed the danish to the edge of the plate with his thumbs again, and Lorelai moved closer. But, instead of taking a bite of delicious danish, she took a bite out of delicious Danes. She pressed her lips to his as she pressed her body against him, trapping the plate against his chest. Lorelai kissed him hungrily, wondering if it was his lips that tasted so sweet, or the lingering effects of danish induced delirium. She stepped back and whispered, "You really shouldn't be such a tease, not on the happiest day of the week. It's dangerous."

"I guess so," he murmured as he looked down as the danish that had been plastered to the front of his flannel plopped back onto the plate.

Lorelai looked down at the globs of cherry glaze stuck to the brushed cotton and a laugh escaped her. "That'll show you."

"Aw, geez," Luke groaned as he looked down at his chest and raised his hand to brush at it. Once again, Lorelai caught his wrist to stop him. This time, she ducked her head and licked the stain on his shirt, moaning playfully and then stifling a giggle as the flannel rasped against her tongue. "That's disgusting," he said in a husky voice.

"Mmm, yummy," she said with a bright smile. She glanced down at the smooshed danish and then plunged one finger into the cherry filled center. "Want a taste?"

Luke chuckled. "Uh, no thanks."

"Trust me, you do," Lorelai said as she raised her finger to his lips, and gently smeared a little of the glaze on them. She looked up at him through her lashes as she sucked the remainder from her finger, and then leaned in again. Luke jerked his arm to the side to avoid another danish disaster, and groaned audibly as she touched the tip of her tongue to his lips. He wrapped his arm around her, hauling her against him as the plate slipped from his other hand, falling to the floor with a clatter.

Lorelai gasped as she turned to look at the demolished danish, and involuntary grunt of pain escaping her lips as she saw it face down on the scarred wood floor.

"I'll get you another," Luke promised gruffly. When she turned to look at him, he captured her lips with his, and kissed her hard and hot.

Lorelai moaned as he parted her lips with his, tasting the sweet glaze she had spread there, savoring the tart flavor of his tongue as he invaded her mouth. She curled her fingers into his flannel, clinging to him as he bent her back, devouring her. When they surfaced for air, Lorelai let her head fall back as he trailed kisses along her jawline. "God I love Danish Day," she whispered.

"Me too," Luke murmured as he made his way down to her neck.

"Do you even eat danish?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'll split one with you anytime," he growled as he nipped at her earlobe.

Lorelai knocked the cap from his head and fisted her hands in his hair, pulling his head up. "I need another taste," she said urgently. She pressed her mouth to his, kissing him heatedly as she pressed him back against the wall and ground against his hard body. She kissed his stubbly jaw, letting her teeth scrape over the coarse hair.

"You're right, handing you a cherry danish is making me feel much better," he said in a gravelly voice.

"You see? You should listen to me more often," Lorelai said as she sucked gently on the soft skin beneath his ear. "Take me upstairs to your swinging bachelor pad," she whispered, her hot breath washing over his ear.

"Please tell me you're serious," he said gruffly as he took her by the shoulders and set her away from him. He stared at her, trying to decipher if she was just teasing him or not.

"We should celebrate," she said solemnly.

"Celebrate?"

Lorelai nodded as she fingered the collar of his flannel shirt. She licked her lips nervously and said, "I know you might feel a little sad, but personally, I've never been so happy that you got your hands dirty."

"Huh?"

Lorelai reached for his hand and raised his ink stained thumb. "I hated that you got married," she admitted bluntly.

"Yeah, I know."

"No, I _hated_ that you got married," she repeated, her eyes boring into his. "I know this makes me the most selfish woman on the planet, but right now, I don't care. I just want to celebrate. After all, it is Danish Day. Take me upstairs and kiss me," she ordered with a sly smile.

Luke turned his wrist and took her hand in his as he pulled her to the stairs. "If you think this is going to score you two danishes a week, you're mistaken," he said gruffly.

"We'll see," she answered as she followed him up the steps. "I do expect a replacement for today's though," she warned.

"I said I would," Luke said as he twisted the doorknob and threw the apartment door open wide.

Lorelai stepped inside and smiled when she saw the can of Mega Man protein powder in its customary spot on the counter. There were dishes in the sink, a newspaper folded on the table, and a pair of running shoes abandoned under a chair. She turned to Luke as he closed the door and said, "Welcome back. It's like you never left."

"Funny," he grumbled, placing his hands on his hips.

"I choose to pretend it never happened," she said as she closed the distance between them. "I am a firm believer in revisionist history as long as it plays in my favor. Make a wish, Luke, and the danish deities will make it come true," she said as she reached for the top button on his flannel.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting you out of this shirt. Someone got some sort of stain on it," she said as she moved to the next button and slipped it through its hole.

He reached up to still her hands and asked, "Are you sure that you want to do that?"

She took his hand, gently opening his long fingers and then pressing a soft kiss to the darkened pad of his thumb. "Don't ever do this again," she warned him sternly.

"I'll try not to," Luke promised as he looked down at her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders.

"I almost had a heart attack that night," she said as she wrapped her fingers around his hand, holding it tightly.

"I'm sorry."

"You're just lucky you're such a screw up. I don't know what I would have had to do if you actually wanted to be married," Lorelai said as she stared up at him.

Luke's lips quirked at her assessment. "I do want to be married," he admitted gruffly.

"Just not to Nicole?"

"Not to Nicole," he answered.

Lorelai nodded as she uncoiled her fingers and lifted his marked thumb to her lips again. "The mark of a smart man," she murmured as she kissed it tenderly before returning to her task.

Luke's breath hitched and then stirred her hair as he exhaled, watching her nimble fingers make quick work of button after button. When she pushed the fabric from his shoulders, he stood passively, letting her side it down his arms. "Better now?" he asked as she tossed the shirt aside.

"Almost," Lorelai said as she ran her fingers down the snug cotton t-shirt he wore. She tipped her head back and said, "Kiss me; I didn't get breakfast this morning."

Luke obliged, brushing his lips teasingly across hers as she gathered the material in her hands, pulling the shirt free from his jeans. "Lorelai?" he asked quietly.

"I like it when you feed me," she said as she slipped her hands under his shirt and flattened her palms to his back. "Still hungry," she whispered.

Luke kissed her again, angling his head as his tongue swept into her mouth. She met him eagerly, moaning as he massaged her tongue with his and scraping her nails lightly over his back. When he bent to kiss her neck, she sprung; pushing his shirt up over his back as she ran her hands over the smooth planes greedily. When he pulled away, she stripped the shirt up over his head and tossed it over her shoulder before launching herself at him.

Lorelai sank her into his neck, smiling against his skin as a strangled groan ripped from his throat. "Ravenous," she murmured as she kissed his neck, licking, sucking and biting the tender skin as he hands tugged at his belt.

Luke grunted in frustration as he struggled to work her jacket off of her shoulders. "Lorelai," he said loud enough to get her attention.

"What?" she asked; pulling back with a perplexed frown.

"Let me at least get your damn coat off before you strip me naked," he grumbled.

"Oops, sorry," she said with a sheepish grin as she shrugged out of her suit jacket.

Luke reached up and wrapped his hand around the band that held her hair back in a long ponytail. Lorelai blinked at him as he gently slid the band free, dropping it carelessly to the floor before running his fingers through her hair to free it from captivity. Her heart raced as he arranged it carefully, draping it over her shoulder and smoothing the ends into place. His fingers strayed down to the button between her breasts, and then he hesitated.

"You hungry too?" she asked softly as her gaze traveled from his fingers back up to meet his.

"Starved," he answered quickly. Lorelai smiled and nodded as she dropped her eyes to his hands once again.

Luke slipped the button through its hole, pressing his lips together as her blouse opened further to reveal the lacy edge of her bra. His fingertips grazed the tender skin as they slid down to the next button and began to work it free. Lorelai ducked her head, watching as his facile hands made quick work of button after button, and then parted the crisp cotton slowly. His lips parted as her creamy skin was unveiled, his breath came in soft, fast puffs.

"Better?" Lorelai asked.

"_I_ think so," he said gruffly.

"Me too," she agreed as she pulled her arms free of the shirt. "It's hard to celebrate properly when you're feeling inhibited," she said as she stepped into him, brushing her lace covered breasts against his bare chest.

"Yeah," Luke grunted as he cupped the back of her head, burying his fingers in her hair and massaging her scalp gently. He tipped her head back and lowered his mouth to hers in a crushing kiss.

Lorelai arched against him, moaning into his mouth as their tongues tangled and battled for control. She circled her hips, rubbing against the hard ridge in his jeans wantonly. "That's not the only thing that's hard," she gasped as he plundered her neck. She sucked in a breath as he captured the tender skin between his teeth and bit gently before sucking it into his mouth and laving the afflicted spot with his tongue.

"No," Luke murmured against her skin. "But you're soft," he said in a low voice as his hands skimmed greedily over her bare back and narrow waist.

Lorelai smiled as she felt his callused hand travel over her ribs and claim her breast. "You like soft, I like hard," she purred as she lowered one hand to the taut muscle of his denim clad thigh and slowly drew her fingers up over his bulging fly.

Luke's caresses grew more frantic, more demanding as he squeezed her through the barrier of her bra. He propelled her back, searching desperately for the first soft place to land. He kissed her as the internal debate of couch versus bed raged in his head. Lorelai answered the burning question for him, smiling brightly as she hooked her fingers into the belt loops on his jeans and pulling him in the direction of his narrow single bed.

"Will we fit?" she teased.

"I'll make sure of it," Luke assured her as the backs of her knees bumped the mattress.

Lorelai dropped down onto the bed still clinging to his belt loops. Her smile intensified as she peered directly at the evidence of his arousal, and she released the loops only to resume her quest to free him from his jeans. She watched as he held his breath, his stomach muscles taut and quivering as she slowly unbuttoned his jeans and drew the zipper down. "Two danishes every week," he offered in a raspy voice.

Lorelai smirked as she opened his pants and pressed her lips to the straining cotton of his boxer briefs, letting her warn breath rush through the fabric. "One danish twice a week," she countered, looking up at him through her lashes.

"I'll give you a damn danish every day," he groaned.

Lorelai beamed her pleasure as she worked his jeans and briefs down over his erection. "Too bad we don't have a danish now. I'd know just what to do with that sweet, cherry glaze," she told him as she brushed the softest kiss to the velvety tip of his cock.

"Oh geez," Luke said breathlessly as his hands flew to her hair. He gathered it with his fingers, fisting it into his palms as she ran her tongue teasingly over him, lapping suggestively at the hyper-sensitive flesh. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Finally happening," Lorelai corrected as she went back to pushing his jeans and briefs down over his thighs.

"Yeah, finally."

"You're free, I'm free, we're free," she whispered, her breath stirring the coarse curls as the base of his shaft as she pushed him back slightly so that she could untie his boots. "That's reason to celebrate."

"It's not the danish?" he asked as she tugged on the laces.

"Not the danish," she confirmed as she cupped his calf, signaling him to step out of his boots.

Luke quickly complied and then stepped back to shed the remainder of his clothing. Lorelai watched as he straightened slowly, standing in front of her completely bare. His fingers flexed nervously at his sides, belying the slightly arrogant swell of his chest and proud set of his shoulders. Lorelai stood up again, her eyes fixed on him as she reached back and unhooked her bra, letting it slide uselessly down her arms and then dangle from her fingertips. She raised her hand slightly and let it fall to the floor, enjoying the feel of his heated gaze as it roamed her body. She opened her trousers and drew the zipper down, wriggling her hips slightly as she pushed them down, dragging her panties with them. Lorelai kicked off her shoes and stepped out of the pooling fabric at her ankles, straightening slowly as she lifted her eyes to his.

"Wow," he breathed.

Lorelai smiled as a soft giggle escaped her lips. "Never seen a naked lady before?"

"Nope," he answered with a rakish smile as he reached for her, pulling her flush against him.

"You'd lie to me on Danish Day? The holiest of all holy days?" she asked, aghast.

"Ask a stupid question…" Luke said gruffly as he wound her hair around his hand.

"Get a naked man," Lorelai answered with a nod, toying with the soft hair on his chest.

"Pretty much." With that, Luke pulled gently on her hair, tipping her head back so that he could claim her mouth once more. He pulled back breathlessly and gazed down at her.

"I'm so hungry," she whispered as her eyelashes fluttered open. Lorelai dropped back down onto the bed, letting her hands trail over his hard chest and down to his hips. She curled her fingers into his skin and pulled him closer as she lowered her head and parted her lips. A strangled groan ripped from Luke's throat as she took him into her mouth, her lips gliding over his rigid length before closing around him and drawing deeply as she pulled away. She released him with a loud pop and then looked up with a puzzled frown. "Hmm, not cherry," she said in a bewildered tone.

Luke barked a laugh as his chest heaved above her. "Uh, no," he said with a gusty chuckle.

"Next time, we're bringing the danish with us," she said as she bent her head again. She drew him into her mouth and sucked greedily, stroking his shaft with her tongue and teasing his head as she circled it.

Luke closed his eyes, his fingers convulsed in her hair, alternately digging into her scalp and then flexing as he tried to maintain control of himself. Lorelai wrapped her fingers around the base of his cock, stroking him in time with her lips and tongue. "Lorelai," he whispered raggedly. She paid him no heed. Instead, she intensified her ministrations, sucking him harder and deeper, stroking him faster. Luke felt himself hurling toward the brink and dug his fingers into her scalp. "Lorelai," he said in a hoarse, desperate voice as he pushed her back, stumbling away from the edge of the bed, and out of her reach.

Lorelai looked up, her expression a mixture of hurt and confusion. "What did I do wrong?" she asked in a whisper.

Luke moved in a flash, stooping to wrap his arms around her as he pushed her back onto the bed, raining kisses on her forehead and temple. "God, nothing," he assured her with a soft chuckle. "I was, uh, too close. I didn't want to, um, you know." He kissed her lips tenderly and pulled back to look down at her. He saw her gazing back at him, her hair tumbling over his pillow, her lips red and swollen and her cheeks flushed pink and perfect. He kissed them again and whispered, "Nothing wrong, you're perfect," as he pressed his damp forehead to hers.

"Oh," she said as she ran her hands over his smooth back. "I was hungry," she complained with a sly smile.

"I am too," he said in a low growl, and then kissed her deeply. He parted her lips with is tongue, demanding her response as he drank her in. "So hungry," he mumbled against her cheek as he pressed fevered kisses along her jaw and down the slender column of her throat.

Lorelai hummed deep in her throat as he kissed his way lower, nipping and sucking at her silky soft skin. He trailed his tongue over her chest, tracing invisible lines between the dusting of freckles that had long taunted him, and circling down to the soft swell of her creamy white breast. He captured her nipple, worrying it gently between his teeth before suckling deeply. Lorelai arched up off of the bed, urging him to take more. He filled both hands with her, kneading the supple flesh with his long fingers. She undulated against him desperately craving the friction that each ruthless tug of his mouth incited. As he moved to her other breast, his fingers grew more demanding; squeezing her roughly, pushing her breasts together as he nuzzled the fragrant valley between them, inhaling the sweet scent her perfume. He caught her beaded nipple between his lips and pressed into her, letting his soft lips caress her as the rough stubble on his chin and cheeks abraded her delicate skin.

Luke released her breasts, pushing his hands into the mattress as he moved lower, blazing a trail of fiery open mouth kisses over her flat stomach, nipping at her hipbone, pressing ardent kisses to the milky white skin just above her dark curls. Lorelai moaned, drawing her knee up and planting her foot on the mattress to push up against him. Luke chuckled and said, "Oh, I'm getting' there," as he knelt between her legs. He ran his hands over her thighs, pushing her knee open as he slid his hands under her ass and lifted her up off of the bed.

Lorelai whimpered in anticipation as his warm breath stirred her curls, teasing her swollen clit as it peeked from her folds. She raised her head and looked down at him only to find him staring up at her. His eyes locked on hers, Luke dipped his head slightly as rasped his tongue over her clit, watching as a desperate moan floated from her lips and she dropped her head to the pillow once more. He drew her into his mouth, teasing her with the tip of his tongue, reveling in her soft gasps of pleasure.

"Delicious," he murmured against her, his deep, rumbling voice sending shockwaves of vibration through her body.

Lorelai convulsed, her hands grasping for his head as he pressed his tongue into her damp heat and then dragged it slowly back up to her clit. "Oh God," she whispered to the ceiling.

Luke repeated the move, this time, stroking her hard and fast with his tongue before lazily winding his way to her clit and sucking deeply. Lorelai moaned and writhed beneath him, trusting shamelessly with each flick of his tongue. Her fingers tightened in his hair, and Luke lifted his head and began to kiss his way back up her body.

"No," she whimpered.

"Yes," he answered as he kissed the rosy tip of one breast.

Lorelai closed her eyes and groaned her frustration and then purred her appreciation as he rose up, settling his weight on her as he held himself poised to enter her. She opened her eyes to find him waiting for her. Lorelai smiled as she lifted one hand to his scruffy cheek and whispered, "Happy Danish Day."

"Yeah, it is," Luke answered as he pushed forward, sinking into her. He groaned as her hot, wet walls yielded and then closed tightly around him. Lorelai held onto him, he leaned into her palm as her fingers slipped into the soft hair above his ear, her nails raking gently over his scalp.

Lorelai drew one leg up, draping her calf across his thighs and holding him there, deep inside of her. Luke ducked his head and captured her lips as he began to move, sliding in and out her wet heat with slow, languid strokes. His kisses grew hungrier as he moved faster, thrusting into her as her muffled moans grew more insistent. He devoured her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, matching the rhythm of their joined bodies as he moved deeper and deeper inside of her.

Lorelai tugged none-too-gently on his hair and drew a shuddering breath as he pulled back. "Air," she gasped as she took in a huge gulping breath. "Oh!" she cried as she exhaled, her climax coiling inside of her, tantalizingly just out of reach.

Luke pushed up on his forearms, shifting higher as he ground into her, his mouth open as he drew shallow ragged breaths. "Ergh," he managed to grunt.

Lorelai's delighted laugh turned into a long moan as the change in angle drew the length of his cock against her clit. "Luke," she whispered a desperate warning as she cupped his ass with her free hand, holding him right there.

Luke clamped his mouth shut, clenching his jaw as he groaned, "Yes."

"Luke," she cried out as she broke, shattering around him and then floating weightless as her body contracted with wave after wave of pleasure.

His answering groan was low and deep, rumbling up from the very depths of him as he thrust into her once, twice, and emptied into her as it ripped from his chest.

She smiled as she saw her name form over and over again on his lips, tumbling from them in the barest of whispers. Lorelai smoothed her palm over his rough cheek, soothing him as he slowed to a shuddering halt. Her hand slid into his hair as he collapsed onto her, burying his face in her neck, burrowing into the sweet scent of her hair. Lorelai's hands moved over his back, meeting in the middle before circling slowly back up to the soft curls at his neck and down to the firm curve of his ass.

"Good?" she whispered.

Luke laughed soundlessly and then managed to choke out, "So good."

Lorelai smiled smugly as she blinked up at the ceiling above his bed. "You know what else might be good?" she asked softly a few minutes later.

"Hmm?"

"Cheese danish," she answered with a smile. "Raspberry or blueberry too," she added as she felt him begin to chuckle.

"Yeah," Luke answered as he pushed up onto his elbows and gazed down at her affectionately.

"Nothing's as good as cherry, though," she said solemnly.

"No," he agreed as he kissed her lightly.

"What could be better than a nice danish and a cup of coffee on Danish Day?" she asked with a lazy smile.

"This," he answered succinctly.

"Ah, maybe, but what if you could have it all?"

Luke smirked and said, "Well, that would be the best."

"You said that I could have a danish every day," she reminded him with a sly smile.

"I was under duress," he argued. "Anyway, if you had one everyday, it wouldn't be special anymore," he pointed out.

"True, but then I don't get this," she said as she ran her hand up the length of his spine.

"This was not a part of the danish deal. This comes with no purchase necessary," he said pointedly.

Lorelai smiled and wet her lips with the tip of her tongue as she studied him closely. "I was thinking about celebrating Hot Fudge Sundae Monday later this evening. You game?" she asked.

Luke smirked and said, "Well, I do have my own can of whipped cream."

Lorelai pulled him back down to her and hugged him tightly. "I knew there was a reason that I liked you."


	28. Not Quite Midnight at the Oasis

**A/N: Highly improbable, and a little more than slightly of silly; but a ton of fun to write. I took a lot of liberties with this one, but do you really want to stick to canon for this episode? I think not… Enjoy!**

**Not Quite Midnight at the Oasis**

The cell phone in Lorelai's purse rang, and she purposefully ignored the scowl Luke shot her as she rescued it from the depths and flipped it open.

"Hello? Oh, Dwight, hi, it's nice to hear from you, too. Yeah, hey, how did you get my cell phone number? Oh, yeah, gotta love that Babette, huh?" she said rolling her eyes as Luke gestured to the door. "Oh, the lawn's fine. Okay..." Her brow puckered as she listened. "What? Uh, wow, overnight? I don't know," she stammered. Her gaze swept the diner frantically, searching for an escape hatch. "The police?" she asked with a deeper frown, glancing up at Luke as he loomed large over the table where she sat. "How about I just turn the volume down on your answering machine? Wow. Hysterical, really? But I don't know anything about…" she paused as she listened to him. "But, I'd have to leave Rory home alone… Yes, yes, I know she's more than welcome. Uh huh, we saw the board games…" Lorelai looked up at Luke pleadingly as her mind raced. "Yeah, it is only one night," she conceded, buckling under the weight of his cheerful persistence. "Okay, sure, Dwight. Ha ha, yes, you do owe me. Yeah, okay, bye," she grumbled as she lowered the phone and glared at it. "I'm going to kill Babette," she said as she looked up at Luke.

"That's what you get for answering your phone in my diner."

"Luke, you don't understand…" she began as he stalked away.

"What? Mr. Jaguar has big plans for the night and didn't consult you first?" he growled as he grabbed a rag and began to vigorously wipe the counter.

"Huh?"

"Nevermind," he muttered under his breath.

"Oh no! That wasn't Peyton," Lorelai told him as she pointed to her purse. "How did you know about him? Nevermind, sometimes I forget who I live next door to. I'm going to miss her after I kill her."

"Peyton?" Luke asked derisively, his lips making a loud popping sound as he emphasized the 'P'.

"The guy with the Jag was Peyton, perhaps the world's most boring man," she said with a sad shake of her head.

"Boring?"

"Well, maybe not to you, but I couldn't care less about how many horses he has running under the hood of that Jag," Lorelai said with a heavy sigh. "The crappy thing is; I'm going to have to go out with him again."

"Why?"

"My parents are making me," she muttered mutinously.

Luke straightened up and cocked his head as he asked, "Will they ground you? Keep you from going to the fall fling sock hop? Take your car keys away?"

Lorelai shook her head as she blew out a breath, fanning her bangs. "It's my own fault," she said as she rose from the table and made her way to the counter. She leaned on the freshly cleaned surface, pressing her forearms into the smooth, worn formica as she knelt on a stool. "I met him at this auction thing my mother was on the committee for. We talked a bit, had a laugh, fought over the last glass of Merlot, and like an idiot, I asked my mother for his number."

"You did?" Luke asked as he clutched the towel in his fist.

"Yeah, well, he seemed nice, and I thought maybe I should try it again. You know, get out there a date a little." Lorelai winced. "Bad idea. Especially when it's someone whose mother serves on the same committees as my mother," she added darkly.

"Ah."

"It was horrible. I mean I spent the whole time we were at dinner thinking about some kid I knew in 9th grade, while he droned on and on about his car, the wine, whatever. I didn't hear half of it. I was home before ten," she said with a meaningful look.

"Ouch."

"Yeah. Here, this will be a good indicator of how bad this date was. Before the dinner debacle, Peyton mentioned having tickets to see David Bowie in concert and asked me to go. David Bowie, Luke, and I don't want to go with him," she said, slowly enunciating each word.

"Wow."

"I know! You know that I love Bowie," she asserted.

"Well, I wasn't sure before, but I'll take your declaration at face value," Luke said with a smirk.

"Anyway, apparently the fact that I don't want to see Peyton again is causing or could cause my parents great social embarrassment because I've already accepted, and I absolutely cannot break the date," she pronounced, effecting her favorite 'Emily Gilmore' tone.

"I see," Luke said as he reached for the pastry display and quickly plated a brownie for her.

"Oh, thank you. I love consolation brownies almost as much as I love David Bowie," she said as she broke off a chunk and popped it into her mouth.

"So, that wasn't him?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, that was Dwight," Lorelai said dismissively.

"Dwight? Your new boyfriend's name is Dwight?" he asked, barely able to contain his smirk.

"What? Oh! No, Dwight is our new neighbor. He bought Beenie Morrison's place," she explained.

"And he wants you to come over for a sleep-over?"

Lorelai huffed as she rolled her eyes. "He just moved in and he had his lawn redone…"

"Oh yeah, I saw that. Looks good," Luke said with an approving nod.

Lorelai fixed him with a blank stare and said, "It should, I'm watering it twice, wait, three times a day now. And his African violets. And now, apparently he needs someone to stay with Colada."

"Colada?"

Lorelai nodded. "As in Piña Colada, his parrot."

"He has a parrot?"

"He has a whole damn Polynesian village!"

"Really? Headhunters and all?" Luke chortled.

"This isn't funny!"

"Yes, it is. How did you get rooked into this?"

"I said something stupid like, 'If there's anything you need…' and bam!" she cried as she smacked herself in the forehead with the heel of her hand.

"Wow, Dwight doesn't let any grass grow under his feet, huh?"

"Very funny," Lorelai grumbled as she plucked a napkin from a dispenser and placed the remainder of her consolation brownie on it. "And now, I have to go turn his sprinklers on so that they can run while I go home and pack my toothbrush for a night all alone in the creepy tiki palace."

"Why do you have to stay there?" Luke asked as she gathered her purse.

"Because Dwight's estranged wife has some anger issues, and apparently Colada isn't doing well being left alone. Mrs. Dumbrowski told Babette that the parrot screamed all night long. Long, blood-curdling screams. She thought someone was being murdered. It does sound like that, trust me, I heard her scream."

"You did?"

"Yeah, when Rory and I were there this morning, Dwight's ex called and the minute the bird heard her voice, it just started screeching, 'Don't hit me! Don't hit me!' and screaming like a girl," she said with a shudder. "Dwight says she won't do it if someone is there, and Mrs. Dumbrowski told Babette that if she heard that screaming again, she'd call the police."

"Don't hit me?" Luke asked worriedly. "Lorelai, I don't think you should be going to this guy's house…"

Lorelai smiled tiredly and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure that Dwight's wife was the one doing the hitting. You'd have to meet Dwight to understand, but Colada also says, 'Yes, Dear,' a lot."

"Still -" Luke grunted.

"I'll be fine. There's satellite TV and food in the fridge," she said with a shrug. "And ten thousand highly temperamental plants and a parrot on the verge of a nervous breakdown," she smirked.

"What about Rory?"

"She'll be fine. Besides, she has a test she's studying for, so she'll ignore me anyway."

"As she should."

"Thanks for the brownie," she said as she headed for the door.

"Lorelai?" he called after her. When she turned, he shrugged and said, "If you need anything, or it gets weird over there, you call me. I'll be right here."

Lorelai smiled warmly and said, "Thanks. It's already weird there, but if it gets any weirder, you are the first weirdo on my list."

Luke nodded and then lifted one hand in a wave as she scurried through the door. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the back counter and watched her walk quickly toward Beenie Morrison's old place.

****

"Oh crap," Lorelai moaned as she approached Dwight's house with a small duffel bag on her shoulder. She spotted the pools of water forming on the fresh sod and groaned, "That can't be good," as she eyed the sprinklers running at full throttle. "Crap," she whispered as she dropped hr bag on the sidewalk and dashed through the overzealous spray to reach the spigot. "You were sprinkling nicely when I left, what happened?" she asked as she twisted the pole to turn off the water and nothing happened.

"Oh no," she groaned as she put a little more elbow grease into it, and still nothing happened. "Crap, crap, craptastic crap!" she cried as her clothes were soaked through by the spray.

"Arrrgh!" she shouted as she tossed the lever aside and ran back to her bag. She yanked the zipper open and pushed her wet hair back from her face as she rummaged around for her cell phone. "Please, please," she muttered as she flipped it open and began to dial.

"Luke's!"

"Help! I need help!" Lorelai said breathlessly.

"Where are you?"

"Dwight's," she answered. "I turned the water on before…" Lorelai trailed off as she heard a loud clatter and then the sound of the receiver banging repeatedly against the wall. "Luke?" She whirled around and stared in the direction of the town square as she called, "Luke?" There was no response. Closing the phone, yanked off her soaked suit jacket and dropped it on top of her bag as she palmed the phone, ducked her head and began walking toward the diner. She made it about twenty feet before she saw Luke round the corner at a dead run.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy, Butch!" she said as she held up her hands to intercept him.

"Are you okay?" Luke demanded, grasping her upper arms.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I didn't mean to panic. The water thing got stuck, and I got soaked."

Luke stared at her for a moment, incredulous, and then shook his head in disbelief as he jogged toward Dwight's house, oblivious to the spray that soaked his jeans and seeped through both shirts. He plucked the handle from a nearby shrub, quickly fit it into the spigot and gave it a good twist, cutting off the water.

Lorelai approached, watching his chest heave with exertion as he straightened up and angrily tossed the handle aside. "Luke, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I just, I got soaked and mad and I…"

"It's okay," he said as he tired to move past her.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Back to the diner."

"But you're dripping wet! At least let me get you a towel," she said as she dashed to gather her bag and sodden jacket, and then pulled Dwight's house key from the outside pocket.

"I'm okay," he told her.

"I'm getting you a towel. Me too," she said as she rushed back up the steps to the front door.

Luke climbed the steps, plucking the heavy flannel away from his body, and wincing as the t-shirt he wore beneath peeled wetly from his skin. Lorelai dropped her stuff just inside the door and left it standing open as she hurried for the bathroom. Luke curled his lip as he looked down at his shirts and then impatiently yanked them up over his head.

Lorelai reappeared a moment later, scrunching the ends of her already coiling hair with one towel as she stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened as he tossed the shirts onto the porch and they landed with a heavy splat. Luke turned back toward the house and saw her standing immobile, both towels clenched in her hands. "You gonna gimme one of those?" he asked, unable to suppress the small smiled that quirked his lips as her eyes roamed over his bare chest.

"Huh, uh, sure," she said as she forced her feet to move and offered him a towel. Absently, she ran her own towel over her springy curls, as she watched the coral colored terrycloth slide over the fine golden brown hair on Luke's chest.

"Are you done?" he asked gruffly.

"Done?"

"Stop staring at me," he grumbled.

"Have I ever seen you without a shirt on?" she asked with a puzzled frown.

"Why would you?" he snapped, partially covering himself with the towel.

"Because you're pretty?"

"I've gotta get back," he said as bent down to pick up his shirts. Lorelai's eyebrows shot up as he bent over, his wet jeans clinging to the firm curve of his ass. Luke hooked two fingers into the sodden material and said, "You're looking at my ass, aren't you?"

"You betcha!" Lorelai answered with an emphatic nod.

Luke straightened up and pulled his wet t-shirt free from the flannel. He then tucked the towel and flannel between his knees before he pulled the t-shirt over his head. "Next time, I'll let you get hacked to bits by the crazed ex-wife."

He held out the towel, and Lorelai smiled as she took it. "No, you won't. I never saw anyone run as fast as you did, Butch. We should line you up next to FloJo," she teased. "Hey, I think I like it better with the shirt, gives you a little mystery, but not much," she said as she eyed the way the wet cotton molded to his muscular chest.

"Isn't it supposed to be girls in the wet t-shirt contests?" Luke asked as he yanked his flannel from between his knees. "You're not doin' so bad yourself," he said as he nodded to the outline of her lacy bra and perky nipples visible through the wet periwinkle blue blouse she wore.

Lorelai gasped and lowered the towel from her hair to her chest as the color rose in her cheeks. Luke's smile was slow and a little rakish as he murmured, "Too late," and headed for the steps.

"Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," she said as she gestured to the nearly drowned lawn.

Luke nodded and put his hands on his hips as he inspected the grass. "Not supposed to rain. Don't water again until tomorrow afternoon, though."

"Okay." She fidgeted nervously, bunching the towel to her throat as he sauntered down the front walk. "Thanks for running," she added.

Luke stopped at the sidewalk and looked back at her as he nodded and said simply, "Anytime."

She watched him walk away in his water darkened jeans and t-shirt, smiling as he paused to wring excess water from his flannel and then walked a little slower. "Oh yeah, I'm watching," she murmured under her breath. "You know I'm watchin' don't ya?" She sighed as he turned and disappeared from view, and then shivered in the crisp fall air as she turned to seek refuge in Dwight's Oasis.

Lorelai closed the front door behind her and then pulled her pajamas from the overnight bag she had packed. She walked back to the bathroom and tossed both towels onto the vanity as she stripped out of her soggy clothing. She began to dry her arms with one of the towels, rubbing her clammy skin vigorously to warm it before pressing it to her cheek. She inhaled and caught the scent of french fries and something else.

Lorelai pressed her nose into the towel and breathed in deeply. "Bread," she whispered. She felt her nipples tighten further and muttered, "Traitors," as she quickly finished toweling off. She then pulled her pajama bottoms and t-shirt on, and frowned as she pulled her damp bra from her clothes and hung it carefully over the shower rod. She turned her head and glared at one of the brightly colored toucans that dotted the jungle themed wallpaper. "Listen, Sam, I wasn't banking on an accident, so stop judging me," she said brusquely and then flounced from the room.

She carried her blouse, jacket, pants and panties through Dwight's kitchen and located the dryer in the overly large mud room just beyond it. She sighed as she tossed the whole mess into the dryer and set it to air the clothes on low heat for a few minutes. She walked to the closet in the living room thinking she'd grab some hangers to let them hang dry overnight, and then jumped when confronted with the wall of board games she had forgotten were stashed there.

"Ugh," she grunted as she trudged back toward the bedrooms. She poked her head into the first open door and saw that it held no furniture save a twin bed on a metal frame. Smirking about the twin sized Curious George bedspread and hoping against hope; she opened the closet, but found the rod bare. With a heavy sigh she walked back into the hall and took a deep breath before cautiously opening the closed bedroom door.

"Yes, Dear," Colada called out, puffing up on her perch.

"Uh, I just need a couple of hangers," Lorelai answered the large colorful bird as she slipped into the bedroom. She kept her eyes carefully averted from the huge platform bed draped with mosquito netting and pulled open one of the louvered closet doors. "Oh my," she breathed as she stood face to face with an assortment of tropical print shirts that would make Don Ho green with envy. "And I thought Luke was a Buffetthead," she muttered as she pushed a few aside, searching for an empty hanger. She opened the other side of the closet and was confronted with a roe of neatly aligned, nearly identical dove grey business suits and white shirts. "Whoa, accountant by day, Kubla Khan by night," she said as she reached for three empty hangers.

She closed the door and glanced at Colada, eying the bird's large talons as the bird eyed her warily. "Oh God! Oh God! Don't hit me! Don't hit me!" she screeched.

"I won't!" Lorelai cried as she reeled backwards toward the door. "I swear! I never even liked Joan Crawford, I like Bette Davis better," she claimed as she backed into the hallway and pulled the door safely closed behind her. She exhaled tiredly and shook her head as she braced one hand against the doorframe. "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night," she told herself and then she hurried back to the mud room.

****

Lorelai sat on the couch, remote control in hand and a bowl of popcorn in her lap. She flipped past channel two thousand and twenty nine murmuring, "Come on, come on, I know you're on here. You're always on here." She propped her feet up on the coffee table littered with what was once the contents of Dwight's fridge as she scowled at the screen. "Seriously? What's the point in having satellite if no one is showing _Better Off Dead_? Two dollars! I want my two dollars!" she yelled at an infomercial being pitched in what sounded vaguely like Mandarin Chinese.

"I need my head examined," she muttered as she tossed the remote aside and place the bowl on the table, pushing already used plates and wrappers aside to make room for it.

She stood up and looked around, sighing as she inspected the room critically. Lorelai pulled her phone from her purse and dialed their home number. When Rory answered she said, ""You know, the party theme is just sad when you're the only one here," by way of greeting.

"Aw, are you lonely? Would you like me to send the Tudors over to keep you company? Because, frankly, they're driving me nuts," Rory complained.

"Aw, did Henry lose his codpiece again?" Lorelai mocked.

"Thank you, now I'm crazy and nauseous," Rory grumbled.

"Take a break, come over here. I'll let you win at Trouble," Lorelai offered.

"I can't"

"But it's got Pop-o-Matic dice," she enticed.

"And I do Love Pop-o-Matic dice," but I can't. This test is a full thirty percent of my grade," she reminded her mother for the fortieth time.

"I know," Lorelai pouted. "I'm bored and it's creepy here."

"So come home, let Dwight deal with his parrot."

"I'd love to, but after spending the evening here, I have a pretty good idea of what it's like to be Dwight. Let me tell you, I think the bird and the grass are the highlights."

"Sad," Rory said sympathetically.

"Very sad. I just can't let anything happen to either one of them. He was right though, the bird is fine as long as I make some kind of noise every once in a while. Oh, and the TV? Totally doesn't fool her," Lorelai reported.

"What kind of noises have you been making?"

"Well, I tried to think like Dwight, so I've been trying to speak her language."

"Her language?"

"Lots of squawks, bwawks and maybe a little screeching."

"And she likes that?"

"Apparently. She hasn't told me not to hit her in almost an hour now."

"Poor bird."

"Poor Dwight," Lorelai corrected.

Rory sighed and said, "I should get back to this."

"Call me when you take a break," Lorelai ordered.

"This was my last break. When I look up again, I'm going to bed."

"Aw, okay," Lorelai said petulantly.

"Call Sookie. See if she'll come over and play a game with you," Rory suggested.

"Yeah, I might," Lorelai said as she turned to look at the game closet.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Sweets," Lorelai said softly and then closed the phone. She walked over to the closet and opened the doors, stepping back as she scanned the shelves of games. She dialed Sookie's number, but when the machine picked up, she remembered Sookie mentioning that they were going to see a movie that night.

She scanned the boxes of games, her eyebrows shooting upwards as she located what must be the more adult section of Dwight's collection. "_Dirty Minds_, I could ace that," she murmured as she cocked her head to read the names. "_Chicks battle the Dudes_," she read with a snort. She eyed the _Fan the Flames_ board game complete with _Love American Style_ fireworks on the box and shook her head. "Oh, Dwight." On the next shelf she saw _The Kama Sutra Game_, one called _Prude or Lewd_ and a selection of _Hanky Panky _games.

"A closet full of dirty games, and no one to play with. Dwight isn't the only one whose life is a little sad," she muttered as closed the doors and walked back over to the couch. She picked up the remote again and began rescanning the channels. Her overactive finger proved to have a mind of its own when it managed to pause on one particular channel. A dirty mind of its own. Lorelai gazed at the screen for a moment and then glanced over her shoulders; just to be sure she was alone in the room. "Oh, hello," she breathed as the man on the screen pulled his shirt over his head and a half naked blonde beckoned him from the bed.

_Luke's chest is better. A little more hair. A little more broad. And the arms, the tattoo, mmm, tattoo…_ she thought as she tilted her head, watching as the man on the screen lowered his lips to his partner's gravity defying breasts. _Those aren't real. You know those aren't real_, she told him telepathically. "These are real," she said aloud as she glanced down at her own more modestly endowed chest.

"Oh crap," she whispered as she grabbed the remote and quickly flipped the channel. "You are not sitting in some very strange stranger's house and watching porn," she told herself sternly.

She paused on a cooking show and watched as a handsome man in his mid-thirties, carefully turned thick juicy steaks on a large grill. _I bet Luke cooks a good steak_, she thought wistfully._ Standing there, flipping, seasoning, and searing… the flames jumping up to lick at the hot, juicy meat._ Visions of Luke standing over a grill in her backyard danced in her head. Visions of Luke shirtless standing over a grill in her backyard; with his jeans slung low on his hips, clinging to the curve of his ass for dear life. She blinked and tried to focus on the screen, but found that she was a little too fixated on the television chef's forearms as he demonstrated his chopping skills. Her brain sent the message, but it still took precious second for the synapses to fire and for word to travel to her fingertip, but at last, she moved on.

She flipped through what seemed like two dozen sports channels until she happened upon a silver-haired Burt Reynolds convincing a very young Mark Wahlberg that he can make him a star. "Ooh," she said as she reached for the bowl of popcorn and settled it into her lap once again. She soon found herself giggling as she carried a never ending stream of salty buttery goodness to her lips, completely engrossed in the movie. So engrossed, that when there was a firm knock on the door, it startled both Lorelai and Colada. The bird screeched loudly from beyond the bedroom door as Lorelai quickly set the popcorn aside and stood up.

"Uh, who is it?" she called nervously.

If the person on the other side answered, it was drowned out by Colada screaming, "Oh God! Don't hit me! Don't hit me!"

"Would you stop?" Lorelai snapped, instantly silencing the nervous bird.

"Lorelai?" Luke called through the door. "Are you okay?"

Lorelai exhaled a relieved breath as she hurried to the door to unlock it. "I'm fine," she said as she pulled the door open. "You just startled us."

"Was that the bird?" Luke asked as he peered past her into the house.

"Yes, that was Colada. We have a kind of an understanding now," she said dismissively. Just then, Colada squawked loudly, and Lorelai answered, mimicking the parrot's cry. "See?"

"This place is nuts," Luke grumbled.

Lorelai smiled and said simply, "Yes." She tugged nervously on the hem of her shirt and asked, "Do you want to come in?"

"Oh, well, I don't want to bug you. I just wanted to check to make sure you were all right."

"Well, I'm methodically eating Dwight out of house and home, I've been through all ten zillion of his satellite channels and was considering playing _Uno_ with myself so that I could win for once," she said with a laugh.

"Sounds like you're okay, then."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and reached out to grab his wrist. "Get in here. I'm so bored I could scream, but if I do, the parrot goes ape," she said as she pulled him into the house.

Lorelai released his wrist and Luke placed both hands on his hips as he stopped to survey Dwight's Oasis. "Wow," he whispered.

"I know. If I'd known you were coming over, I would have told you to wear your Buffetthead shirt," she teased.

"Parrothead," he corrected.

"Let's just agree to call a geek a geek, shall we? Dwight has a whole wardrobe of them in there, but I'm afraid they probably wouldn't fit you."

Luke smirked. "Too big?"

"Too small. How are your arches, by the way? Do you feel shorter?"

"What?"

"I just wanted to be sure it wasn't wearing those shirts that caused it."

"Does he want me to keep going until I come?" Mark Wahlberg playing Dirk Diggler asked, his voice seemingly booming into the quiet room from the surround sound speakers cleverly disguised as coconuts.

Julianne Moore nodded and answered for Amber Waves. "Yeah, you just come when you're ready."

Lorelai whirled, searching frantically for the remote control as Dirk Diggler asked, "Where should I come?"

"Where do you want?" Amber answered Dirk as Luke's jaw dropped.

"Wherever you tell me."

"What the hell are you watching?" Luke asked as the tips of his ears began to burn.

"_Boogie Nights_," Lorelai answered as she dropped to the floor and reached under the coffee table for the fallen remote.

"Come on my tits, if you can, okay? Just pull it out and do it on my stomach and my tits, if you can," Amber answered coolly before Lorelai could hit the power button.

"You're sitting here watching porn?" Luke asked in a shocked tone.

"It's not porn! It's a movie. A movie about porn, but it isn't porn, it has Burt Reynolds in it," she rambled as she scrambled to her feet, her cheeks flaming.

"Oh, well, Burt Reynolds," Luke said with a snort.

"He was nominated for an Oscar for this!"

"And I'm sure it was a great honor," Luke said gravely. He looked around and said, "Well, I see that you have everything you need," as he made a face at the remains of her refrigerator raid. "I'll leave you to your dirty movies."

"Don't you want to stay? We don't have to watch that, or we can if you want to. It's a good movie," she said desperately.

Luke stared at her, incredulous, but when he opened his mouth to speak, the phone rang. They both turned to look at it as the answering machine kicked on immediately, and Dwight's cheerful voice said, "_Hey, it's Dwight, leave a message, I'm listening_."

"_Dwight, hi, it's Doris. Doris, your wife, remember me?" _a woman asked, her voice rising hysterically._ "The woman who was asleep in bed when you snuck out the window like a spineless little worm! How dare you sneak out like that, you sniveling little pond scum sample! I should call Erin Brockovich to bring a lawsuit against your parents, you steaming lump of toxic waste!" _Colada screamed; the sound echoing through the silent house and making them cringe even more than Doris' howling abuse. _"You really thought you could get away from me? From me? I would've found you sooner if I had bothered to look, but now I have! I found you, and all I can say is this – I want my board games back! I want them back and I want them back now! And I will hunt you down to the ends of the Earth until I get them back – especially the Trivial Pursuit!" _she shouted before ending the call with a clatter and crash.

Lorelai and Luke turned back to one another, their mouths agape as Colada yelled, "Yes, Dear! Yes, Dear! Oh God! Don't hit me!"

Lorelai sprang into action. "Colada, it's okay, she's not here," Lorelai called as she hurried toward the hall. She made a loud cawing sound as she hovered outside of the bedroom door, waiting for the parrot's pathetic wails to subside.

"What the hell?" Luke asked as he followed her down the hall.

"She's freaked out. I forgot to turn the answering machine down," Lorelai hissed. "Go turn it down! Go turn it down!" she said as she shooed him away. "Cawww! Cawww! Ack-ak-ak-ak-ak!" she cooed through the closed door.

Luke found the volume control on the machine and turned it all the way down as he called, "This is insane."

"It makes her feel better. See? All better now, right Colada?" Lorelai said with a satisfied smile as the bird quieted once more.

"You can't stay here."

"I can't leave. Look at this place, Luke," Lorelai said as she walked back into the living room. "This is all this poor guy has dreamed of. If Mrs. Dumbrowski calls the cops and they take his bird away, all he has left is a shell of a tiki palace with a drowned lawn," she said sadly.

"It's not safe, Lorelai. You heard that woman! What if she shows up over here and finds you here? What is she going to think?" he demanded.

"That I've gone above and beyond for a neighbor I don't even know?" she asked hopefully.

Luke shot her an impatiently look and said, "She's gonna think that you're the reason Dwight snuck out while she was asleep." When Lorelai snorted, he looked at her pointedly and waited for realization to dawn.

"I can't stay here," Lorelai murmured at last. She glanced back at the bedroom door and then said, "But I can't leave her here. She's nuts, but I've gotten a little attached to her."

"We'll take her to your house."

"But, she doesn't have a cage," Lorelai said worriedly as Luke headed for the closed bedroom door.

"She doesn't?"

"No, just a big perch thingy," she answered as he cracked the door open and peeked into the bedroom.

Colada rose up to her full height and flapped her wings a bit in warning. "Don't hit me!"

"I'm not gonna hit you," Luke grumbled as he poked his head into the room and looked around for a cage. When he came up empty he pulled the door closed with a sigh. "Man, big bird."

"No, Big Bird is yellow, that, I do know."

Luke rolled his eyes and then asked, "Did you see the size of her claws?"

"Talons, and yes," Lorelai replied sagely.

"Okay, maybe we can't take her to your house," he murmured as he tried to reformulate a plan.

"I'll be okay, Luke," she assured him.

Luke shook his head and said, "I'm staying with you."

"What? Oh no," Lorelai protested, her mind immediately filling with images of Luke bare-chested and sound asleep on the couch. "You don't have to," she added as the image shifted to Luke bare-chested with her pinned under him on the couch. "You shouldn't stay here."

"It's no big deal."

"Oh, it might be," she said quickly.

"Why?"

"I mean, Dwight might get upset about it," she recovered.

"Why would he care? He said it was okay for Rory to stay," Luke pointed out.

"You're not Rory."

"Yes, I'm aware of that."

"You're, uh, much bigger than she is," she said, grasping at straws.

"I'll try not to run through the side of the grass hut," he said dryly. Lorelai couldn't help but smile at the Gilligan's Island reference. Luke nodded to the spare room and said, "You can sleep with the monkey, I'll take the couch."

"But, Luke," she said as she followed him back into the living room.

"I'm not leaving you here alone," he said as he began to clear the remnants of her food festival from the coffee table. He straightened up with a fistful of wrappers and a handful of dirty plates and looked straight at her. "Pick out a game, not _Trivial Pursuit _because I don't want my fingerprints on it, and I'm not watching dirty movies with you," he said as he turned and walked into the kitchen.

Lorelai walked over to the game closet and opened the doors. Her mind raced; rushing like the water she heard filling the kitchen sink. _He ran. He ran over here when he thought I was hurt. He came here to check on me. He was willing to relocate a gigantic parrot to make sure I was safe. He's staying. Staying here, in the same house with me. He's staying here, so his chest will be staying here, and his arms, and that ass. Oh, the tattoo. The tattoo is staying too,_ she realized as her eyes fell to the shelves where the more adult oriented games were housed. _Are you a Prude or Lewd, Luke?_ _Do you have a Dirty Mind too, or is it just me? Should I Fan the Flames?_ she wondered.

"Oh, and nothing where I have to draw, I suck at drawing," he called from the kitchen.

"Okay," she answered, jumping guiltily as she tore her gaze from the more suggestive games and fixated on the first family game she saw. "How about _Monopoly_?"

"Takes too long. I'm not staying up all night to watch you turn into Leona Helmsley."

"_Clue_? _Life_? _Scrabble_?" she called over her shoulder. When he didn't respond right away, she added, "Dirty word _Scrabble_?"

She heard the faucet cut off and then Luke asked, "Do they make a game like that?"

"No, you just use the regular _Scrabble_ game, but the dirty words are allowed."

"No," he answered as he walked back into the room, drying his hands with a wad of paper towels.

"Well, I do not see a _Bop It_ in here, so you are forcing me to do this," she said as she reached for a box and slid it carefully out from under the others piled on top of it. She turned to Luke and held the box up for him to see as she gravely said, "It's the game that ties you up in knots, Luke."

He snorted and said, "I'm not playing that."

"Afraid you'll lose?" she taunted as she lifted the lid and reached for the plastic mat and cardboard spinner.

"Afraid I'll crush you. Crush you like a bug and really crush you," he amended. "I have really good balance," Luke said with a smug smile.

"Ha! I am a _Twister_ champion," Lorelai asserted as she shook out the mat. She looked around the living room and scowled at the lack of space.

"See? There's not enough room for that. Pick something else," Luke said with a shrug.

"There's room back here," Lorelai said with a sniff as she grabbed the spinner and brushed past him, dragging the mat toward Dwight's spare bedroom. She spread the mat over the floor and turned to find that Luke had not followed her as she expected. Lorelai frowned as she gave the spinner a flick of her finger and sent it flying. "Right hand, red," she called out as she bent down and placed her right hand on one of the red circles in the middle of the column. "Your turn!"

Lorelai tossed her hair to one side and looked up as Luke appeared in the doorway. She made no move to pull down the hem of her t-shirt, or pull up the low waistband of her pajama pants, knowing that he was getting a nice glimpse of skin as she bent unnecessarily straight legged.

Luke cleared his throat as he felt his jeans tighten and then said, "Uh, relax a minute. I need to, um…" as he pointed to the bathroom.

"Oh, okay, Lorelai said with a nod, watching the doorway until she was sure she heard the bathroom door latch, and then dropping to her knees to rest on her heels. "This is nuts, this is nuts, this is nuts," she whispered under her breath. "You're using Milton and Bradley to seduce your friend Luke."

Luke stood just inside the jungle themed bathroom, his back to the door, and his eyes fixed on the lacy blue bra draped over the shower rod. He cocked his head and studied it, wondering if it was indeed Lorelai's or if maybe Dwight had a girlfriend, after all. He turned to look in the mirror and asked himself, _Is she doing what I think she's doing?_ He turned on the water in the sink and rubbed his just washed hands under the faucet once more. "Play it cool, play it cool, just play the game," he coached himself. "Hands, feet, keep your eyes on the mat." Luke shut off the water and then flicked his fingers at the basin before reaching for a towel embossed with a palm tree. He shot one more stern glance at the mirror and then reminded himself, "Play it cool. Let her make the move. She has to make the move."

The moment she heard the bathroom door open, Lorelai pushed back to her feet; sticking her bottom into the air as she pressed her palm to the floor and looked at the door expectantly. "Ready?" she asked with a bright smile.

Luke snorted a laugh and said, "You could have eased up a bit."

Lorelai shook her head and smiled sweetly as she lied, "You may have good balance, but I'm extremely flexible."

Luke spun the arrow and murmured, "Left foot, green," as he placed his left foot on the green circle in the same row as her hand.

"Shoes," Lorelai reminded him.

"Crap," Luke muttered as he pulled his boot from the mat and bent down to unlace them. He toed off the boots and then stripped off his socks, stuffing them into the tops of the boots before tossing them aside. "Happy?" he asked as he placed his bare foot on the green circle once more.

"Extremely. Spinner, please," she indicated with a wave of her free hand. Luke gave it to her and watched as she placed it on the mat and flicked the arrow with her left hand, barely moving it. "Do over," she called, causing him to snort. Lorelai flicked it again, and this time it circled once before resting on 'left foot, green' also. She smiled as she looked up at him and swung her left leg over to the circle next to his foot.

Luke bent down and flicked the spinner. "Right foot blue," he said as he moved to place his other foot on a blue dot. Lorelai looked up at him, looming over her wearing a smug smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest and rocked back onto his heels. "Your turn."

Lorelai grunted as she flicked the arrow and then sighed with relief when it landed on 'right foot, blue' too. She placed her right foot on a blue dot, and groaned slightly as she bent her knees, squatting down to maintain her balance and keep her right hand firmly on the red dot. "That's better," she murmured, and then she looked up, coming face to zipper with Luke's worn Levis.

"Ya think?" he asked gruffly.

"I meant, um, bending my legs," she said quickly as she picked up the spinner and handed it up to him. Luke spun and then closed his eyes as he muttered, "Right hand, green." He could feel her breath warming the denim covering his thigh, and bit back a groan as he envisioned himself leaning forward over her.

Lorelai looked up, watching as he glanced behind him, clearly trying to figure out if he could squat down and reach back, or if he should go forward. "Better go forward, you can't really go back," she said softly, ending his internal debate.

Luke looked down at her and then nodded. "Okay," he said as she ducked slightly, giving him room to arch his body over hers. His hand landed heavily on the green circle, his hat tumbled to the floor, and he left out a whoosh of air as he felt her cheek pressed into his hip. He closed his eyes as he felt his groin tighten further and prayed she wouldn't notice.

She noticed. Oh, she noticed. Lorelai fought back the urge to catch his belt loop between her teeth and give it a good tug. Instead, she reached up blindly for the spinner and then dropped it beside her, flicking the arrow quickly. "Right hand, blue," she said, her warm breath coursing over the rough denim of his jeans. She placed her left hand on his thigh to steady herself, and then moved her right hand over and back to a blue spot, moving away from his crotch.

"Cheater," he breathed as he looked down at her.

"What?"

"You can't hang on."

"Here," she said as she swiped at the spinner, pushing it toward him.

Luke tried to reach across his body with his left hand, but couldn't quite get it. "I can't reach."

Lorelai pushed it behind her, flailing as she tried to keep her balance. She grabbed onto his outstretched right arm and caught his elbow as she fell, pulling him down with her. Luke fell to his knees and caught his weight on his other hand as she sprawled out under him, infectious laughter bubbling up from deep inside of her.

"You lose," he said with a grin.

"I lose," she agreed, her hand still wrapped around his elbow, rubbing the soft flannel over his skin. She looked up at him and then blinked slowly as her hand moved up to his bicep, massaging it gently. Her gaze dropped to his lips as he seemingly stopped breathing, and she wet hers before looking up at him once more. "Congratulations," she whispered.

"Thanks," he said, expending precious little of the oxygen trapped in his lungs.

Lorelai raised her free hand to his cheek and cupped it, running her thumb over his cheekbone. "Good game," she whispered as she pulled him down to her.

"Good game," he agreed as he gave in to the gravitational pull and lowered his lips to hers. He kissed her softly; tasting, testing, and tempting her into asking for more, all the while praying that she would. When she responded, he deepened the kiss, pulling her bottom lips gently between his and releasing it reluctantly as he pulled back. They stared at each other for a moment, willing their brains to catch up to where their bodies were so obviously taking them. "Hey," he whispered gruffly, afraid to break the spell that held him in thrall.

Lorelai gently threaded her fingers through his soft hair, letting them tangle in the curls that teased the nape of his neck. "Hi," she answered with a soft smile. Then she pulled him down again, lifting her head from the mat to meet him halfway and kissed him ardently.

Luke groaned as she parted her lips, and pressed her back down to the plastic sheeted floor with the intensity of his response. He lowered his body to hers as his tongue entered her mouth and circled hers, his body sank into her soft, yielding curves. Lorelai tightened her grip on his neck as she pressed up into his mouth, into his chest, into the hard ridge that teased her thigh. Luke pulled away, panting softly as he stared down at her.

Lorelai swallowed hard and then whispered, "What kind of engine is in your truck?"

"Don't know," he answered.

"You do too," she cajoled.

"I don't care."

"Good. Me either," she said as she used his shoulder for leverage and rose up to kiss him again. Her fingers trailed down to the first button on his flannel as she fell back once more, slipping the button through its hole. "You're very good at _Twister_."

Luke's smile was slow as he looked up from her busy hands to meet her eyes. "I'm better at _Operation_."

"You like to play doctor?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Who doesn't?" Luke replied mildly and then dipped his head, lowering his lips to her jaw.

"Right," Lorelai breathed as she gave up the struggle against his buttons and slid her hands around his back. She arched her neck urging him down as his lips lingered at her earlobe. She inhaled sharply as he sucked the tender flesh into his mouth and teased it with his tongue. "Oh, I bet you were good at it," she whispered.

"I still remember all the parts," Luke murmured against her skin. "Adam's apple," he said as he nipped at her throat. "Wish bone," he whispered as he trailed soft kisses along the vee neckline of her shirt. He looked up at her through his lashes as he pressed his lips to the cotton covering the valley between her breasts. "Broken heart?"

"No, not broken," she answered softly.

"I'll kiss it anyway," he murmured as he pressed his lips to her breastbone.

"Thank you, Doctor."

Luke smiled as he turned his head and kissed the crook of her elbow. "Funny bone," he said as he placed a wet smacking kiss to the sensitive skin. Lorelai laughed as he looked up and then turned his head to kiss the inside of the opposite wrist. "Writer's cramp."

"Wow, you do remember it all," she said with a delighted grin.

"Never knew it would come in handy," he said as he pushed back on his hands. He pressed his lips to her left knee and said, "Bad case of water on the knee," before he opened his mouth and rasped his tongue over the crisp cotton of her pajama pants.

"Ohhh," Lorelai hummed low and soft.

Luke pushed the leg of her pants up a bit as he sat back on his heels and lifted her foot. "Wrenched ankle," he said solemnly as he kissed the inside of her ankle tenderly. He lowered that foot and then pushed the right leg of her pants up over her shin. "The ankle bone is connected to the knee bone," he said with a nod and then bent to trace the length of her shin with the tip of his tongue.

"Luke," Lorelai whispered as she reached for him.

"Not done. Charlie horse," he said and then caught the fabric covering her thigh between his teeth and tugged lightly.

"Oh God, you're making me crazy," she half-laughed, half-complained.

"Good. You drive me crazy all the time," he said as he moved higher. "Mmm, spare ribs," he said as he pressed his lips to her ribs, nuzzling the underside of her breast through her shirt. When she gasped he moved slightly lower and pressed his open mouth to her stomach. "Got butterflies?" he asked as he exhaled, letting his breath seep through the thin material.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Me too," he confessed as he moved a little lower pushing her shirt up to expose the creamy curve of her stomach. Luke looked up at her. "This is the tough one. Bread basket," he said as he lowered his mouth to her bare skin, inhaling deeply as his tongue traced torturous circles. "Gets me every time," he murmured as he began to push her shirt up higher, following it with his lips, teeth and tongue. Lorelai shifted, and sat up a little, letting him skim the shirt up over her head. "Yes, yours," he breathed as he leaned down and kissed her hard and hot, drawing her tongue into his mouth and circling it with slow sensuous strokes of his own.

Lorelai moaned unabashedly, cradling the back of his head as he devoured the tender skin of her neck. "How did you do that? I was trying to get yours off again," she panted.

Luke chuckled as he pushed away, stripped off both of his shirts as he had on Dwight's porch earlier that day and tossed them aside. He lowered his body to hers again, closing his eyes for a moment as her taut nipples brushed against his chest. "Like that?"

"Exactly," Lorelai purred, running her hands greedily over his shoulders, arms and back. "You feel so good."

Luke said nothing. Instead, he showered her cheek, jaw and neck with tiny kisses, letting his beard rasp against her delicates skin, pressing his lips sweetly to the pulse that throbbed in her neck.

"Oh God," Lorelai cried as he rubbed against her, answering the demands of her undulating hips.

"Oh God! Don't hit me!" Colada cried out.

"Oh no!" Lorelai gasped as Luke froze, pushing up on his arms. Lorelai curled her fingers into his biceps, holding onto him as she shook her head. "No, Colada! Everything's fine! Caawwww!" she called through the apparently thin walls.

Luke blinked as he watched her, shouting bare-breasted through walls to calm a neurotic parrot. And then he lost it. The laugh rumbled up from deep inside of him, shaking his body before he could utter a sound. He flopped over onto his back and let out a loud guffaw as he flung his hand up to his forehead and vibrated with deep, raspy laughter.

"What? She's upset," Lorelai said defensively.

"This, us, everything," he gasped, trying to catch his breath as her indignation made him laugh harder.

"Us, what? What's the matter with us?" Lorelai asked with a hurt frown.

"No, no! Not us, us, this us," Luke said as he struggled to control his laughter. "You standing there with your but up in the air; me figuring out how to get right up against you, but when I did, it was your face."

"You did that on purpose?"

"Well, yeah," he snorted. "Not that, but you know, where I was." He flashed a full wattage smile and said, "I really wanted to get tied up in knots with you."

"You did?" she asked, answering his brilliant smile with one of her own.

"I've never tried to use _Operation_ to get a girl naked before," he confessed.

"It was working."

"I do have butterflies in my stomach," he told her as he reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Me too."

"Tell Dwight that coffee's on the house," he said gruffly.

"Dwight? What about me?" Lorelai asked in an injured tone.

"You hardly ever pay, anyway."

"Tell you what, you give me Dwight's coffee, and I'll do everything in my power to see that you never have to meet the man who is responsible for all this," she said as she waved her hand to encompass the house.

"Deal," Luke agreed quickly as he pulled her over onto him. He smoothed her wild curls back from her face and pulled her down to kiss her passionately.

As he drank her in, his hands slipped from her hair to her neck and his fingers trailed lightly down over her collarbone before smoothing across the soft curves of her breasts. Lorelai hummed her approval and deepened the kiss, angling her head and bracing herself on her hands to grant him better access. His hands closed over her breasts, cupping them gently before he began to knead the soft flesh with his long, strong fingers. She circled her hips, pressing against the hard mound in his jeans wantonly as she pulled back, staring down at him with eyes heavy lidded with desire. "We're on a Twister mat," she whispered raggedly.

"Sorry," he grunted as he wrapped one arm around her back and sat up, propelling her back against the corded steel of his arm. "Left hand, uh, pink," he said gruffly and then looked up at her with a boyish smile as he squeezed her breast with his left hand.

Lorelai threw her head back and laughed as she cupped the back of his neck and said, "Lips, on me."

"Got it," Luke grunted as he splayed his hand over her back and pressed her back until he could lower his head to the beaded tip of her breast. "Here okay?" he asked, letting his breath tickle the sensitive flesh.

"God, yes," she whispered to the ceiling. She closed her eyes as his lips closed around her, drawing the beaded tip into his warm mouth and suckling gently. Lorelai tightened her fingers in his hair, urging him on. Luke drew her deeper, pulling a moan from the very depths of her that bounced off the walls of the nearly empty room.

Frustrated with his angle, Luke released her with a grunt and rolled her over onto her back once more. He startled laugh filled his ears even as he pressed wet, hungry kisses to her chest, caressing her breasts possessively as he moved lower to take her back into his mouth once more. Her laughter turned to soft gasps as each tug of his mouth, pulled the invisibly string that made her circle her hips, desperately seeking the friction she craved. She pushed lightly on his shoulders, lifting her hips as she rubbed against his torso desperately.

"No Bowie," Luke growled as he moved down, covering her stomach with hot wet kisses.

"No," Lorelai agreed.

"No Jaguars, no merlot, no thinking about guys from 9th grade," he said as he looked up at her meaningfully. When she shook her head, he trailed his tongue along the drawstring on her pants.

"Brownies?" she asked.

"Yes," Luke replied as he nipped one end of the string with his teeth and pulled the bow free.

"What kind of engine is in your truck?" she asked breathlessly.

Luke looked up, pinning her to the mat with his intense blue gaze. "You really wanna know?" When she nodded he smiled slow and sexy and said, "It's a 350 small-block V-8."

"It sounds so much sexier when you say it," Lorelai said as she ran her hands through his hair.

"Modified," he said with a smirk as he hooked his fingers into the waistband.

"What does that mean?" Lorelai asked as she lifted her hips, signaling him to pull the pants down.

"I rebuilt it myself, gave it a little more muscle," he said as he pulled the crisp cotton down over her hips. He sucked in a sharp breath when the removal of her pajama bottoms revealed nothing but smooth skin and a vee of dark curls. He paused and waited for his lungs to begin functioning again before he resumed his task. "You had nothing on," he murmured.

"I did have pajamas on," she pointed out.

"Nothing under," he grunted as he yanked the pants free of her feet.

"I got soaked through, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, I remember," he chuckled as he ran his hands up over her long legs, moving to kneel between them.

"Can I ask you something?"

Luke looked up, trying to force his focus from her naked body back to her face. "Yeah. What?"

"Do you ever barbeque without a shirt on?"

"What?"

"Just wondering," she said quickly.

"Uh, no," he replied with a puzzled frown.

"Too bad," she sighed. "Would you?"

"Do you want me to barbeque without a shirt? Seems like a good way to get singed."

"True," Lorelai conceded. "Maybe I'll just keep that picture in my head."

Luke shook his head as he chuckled. "Maybe that's best."

Lorelai glanced down and then said, "I'm naked on a _Twister_ mat."

He smiled as he nodded and moved back up to kiss her. "Yes, you are. Right foot, um, blue, Lorelai," he said as he lowered his mouth to hers. He chuckled against her lips as she promptly placed her foot on the back of his thigh and ran it slowly down his leg.

"They're blue," she whispered as she kissed him softly. "Take them off."

Luke ducked his head and nuzzled her neck as he said, "I'm a little afraid to."

Lorelai smiled as she raked her fingernails lightly over his back. "That's what you claimed the other day, but a just few minutes ago, you weren't at all afraid of my breasts," she pointed out.

"Huh?"

"The diner? The baby? The exposed breastage?" she reminded him.

"Aw, geez."

"You pointed out that I had the same parts," she giggled. "And just a few minutes ago, you seemed terribly interested in those parts, not at all afraid of them."

"Yeah, well, that was something entirely different."

"I'm not afraid, Luke, take them off," she said softly.

Luke sighed as he sat back once more and began to open his jeans. Lorelai smiled encouragingly as she trailed the very tips of her fingers over his denim encased erection and then reached for the tab of his zipper. Luke caught her hand and then raised it to his lips. "Better let me," he said gruffly.

Lorelai blinked in surprise and asked, "Let you touch yourself?"

Luke rolled his eyes as he pushed his jeans down, leaving his grey boxer briefs in place. "No, I mean, I'm somewhere just past excited right now," he mumbled as he stood up and kicked off the jeans.

Lorelai looked up at him and said, "Lose those too," as she pointed to his briefs.

"Lorelai," he began to protest.

"Luke, I am bare-assed naked on a _Twister_ mat, and you got me this way. You're gonna be bare-assed naked too," she insisted. He inhaled deeply and then blew it out in a hiss as he shoved his boxer briefs down his legs and kicked them aside. "Well, hello, Dirk," Lorelai said as her eyes widened.

"What?" he asked as he lowered himself to the mat once more and hovered over her.

"Dirk Diggler," Lorelai murmured as she allowed her eyes to travel slowly down his chest, follow the tapering line of hair down his stomach and then feast on his God given talents.

"Am I supposed to get that?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

Lorelai slowly wrapped her fingers around him, letting each one curl around his thick shaft appreciatively. "No, but I am," she purred as she stroked him lightly.

"Lorelai, I'm, uh," he trailed off as her fingers tightened around him and a loud groan rumbled from his chest.

"Excited, yes, I know," she murmured as she brushed her thumb over his velvety tip, collecting the bead of moisture there as a reward for her efforts. She stroked him faster, lifting her eyes to his in an unspoken challenge.

Luke lowered his right hand to her dark curls, letting them tangle teasingly in them as he watched the sensations play over her face. Lorelai licked her lips and then parted her thighs a little more, inhaling deeply as the pad of his middle finger grazed her clit. Luke exhaled for her, sighing softly as he parted her folds, gathering hot, sweet moisture on the pad of that finger. "Yes," he hissed between his teeth as he began to stroke her lightly. She moved beneath him as she squeezed him gently, stroking his entire length before cupping his balls and fondling them gently. Luke grunted and pressed that questing finger to her entrance, groaning low and deep as it sank into her, her hot wet walls closing tightly around him as she began to stroke him again. He began to thrust into her, his breathing ragged as she matched her strokes to his. Unable to bear it any longer, he pulled back out of her reach, pulling his finger slowly from her as he stared down at her flushed face, his chest heaving even as he lifted that finger to his lips to taste her.

"Oh God," Lorelai moaned as she arched up off of the mat, the plastic sticking to her damp back as she offered herself to him. She turned her head from side to side and then whispered, "Right hand, yellow, Luke." Luke pulled his finger from his mouth and looked down at her questioningly. She looked over at the dot to the left of her head and said, "Right hand, yellow; left hand, blue."

Luke nodded his understanding and lowered his body to hers pressing his hands to the colors she had ordered. He kissed her softly, rubbing his lips over hers as their breaths mingled. "Right foot, blue," he whispered as she drew her leg up, planting her foot firmly on the mat as she pushed against him. He closed his eyes as the tip of his cock parted her wet folds, pushing into her tight heat. "Lorelai," he sighed as she took him in.

"Oh, yes," she purred, her hands fluttering anxiously up and down his smooth back. "Oh God, yes," she murmured as she cupped his ass and pulled him into her.

Luke's breath rushed from his chest. "Butterflies," he murmured.

"Me too," she answered as he began to move slowly inside of her.

"Nothing should feel this good."

"No, it should be against the rules," she agreed, her breath hitching on the last word as he moved deeper still. Lorelai's eyes stared locked on his face as he stroked her harder, pushing into the mat with his knees and feet, trying to gain leverage as the mat bunched and inched beneath them. "Oh God," she whispered as her eyes fluttered closed, only to pop back open a moment later. "No quitting," she panted.

"How do we know who wins?" he asked breathlessly.

"Oh, we'll know," she answered and then moaned. "Oh God!"

"Lorelai, shh," he whispered urgently.

She didn't hear him, or if she did, she didn't care. "Oh God, Luke!" she cried as she felt herself peaking. "Oh God! I win!" she called out.

"Oh God! Oh God!" Colada screeched from the other bedroom.

Luke squeezed his eyes shut and gave in to the sensation of her body pulling him deeper into her, squeezing him mercilessly. "Oh God, Luke," Lorelai panted as he thrust harder still.

"Oh God! Oh God!" Colada chimed in.

"Oh God," Luke groaned as he spilled into her, filling her hard and hot as he hung his head.

"Oh God!" Colada cried. "Don't hit me! Don't hit me!"

The laugh sputtered from Lorelai's chest as she drew him down onto her. "Don't hit me," she giggled into his ear. Luke chuckled breathlessly but could only shake his head. Colada shifted into the blood curdling scream portion of her hissy fit, and Lorelai clamped her hands over Luke's ears and called, "Hey, Colada! Cawww! Cawww! Ack-ka-ka-ka-ka!"

"What the hell is that?" Luke muttered into her hair as he shook with laughter.

"Parrot talk," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"What does it mean?" he teased as he raised his head to peer down at her.

"Um, shut up, I have a naked man on the _Twister_ mat?" she guessed.

Luke listened as the bird's calls of distress subsided. "Wow, it works," he said as he raised his eyebrows appreciatively.

"We understand each other," Lorelai answered with a solemn nod.

"Do _we_?" Luke asked.

"We'd better," she said pointedly. "We just desecrated Dwight's _Twister_ game. I'll have to replace it before he gets home."

"Replace it?"

"Well, yeah, we can't let him keep it. Although, this may not be the first time this has happened," she mused.

"Aw, don't even," Luke groaned.

"Maybe in better days, Dwight and Mrs, Dwight liked to play a nice round of naked _Twister_," she giggled.

"Judging by the lunatic bird I'd say the odds of there being better days are pretty slim."

"We'll cling to that theory," she replied with a nod. "So, do you get it or me?"

"What?"

"Get to keep the game," she prodded.

"Um, I should," he said after giving it a moment of thought.

"Why you?"

"What If Rory gets a sudden urge to play _Twister_?"

"We have our own," she told him.

"Then you don't need this one," he said, completing his circuitous argument.

Lorelai beamed at him proudly as she said, "Very good. You're getting so much better at that."

"I've had lots of practice," he asserted as he leaned in and kissed her firmly.

Lorelai nodded and looked up at him as she said, "I think we need to work on our _Twister_ skills, though, you and me."

Luke nodded and said, "We'll figure it out; practice rounds, competitions…"

"Exactly," she purred as he burrowed into her neck once more. They lay quietly for a moment, wrapped up in each other atop the brightly colored mat. "Hey, Luke?" she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"I hate to admit it, but I think I kinda like Dwight's place," she admitted with a shrug.

Luke smiled as he pushed up and looked down into her bright blue eyes. "I like it here too. It is an oasis."

"Aside from the psychotic parrot and the hideous décor," she qualified.

"And the porn playing in the living room and the giant closet of games," he added.

"I like this room, though," Lorelai said as she glanced up at the blank beige walls and matching beige carpeting.

"I do too," Luke agreed. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled and said, "Aside from the monkey bedspread."

"That's Curious George!" she gasped.

"Whatever," Luke grumbled as he slipped his arm under her and held her to his chest as he rolled over onto his back.

Lorelai grinned and propped her forearm on his chest, looking at him through her lashes as she trailed her index finger through the hair on his chest. "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah," he grunted as he looked down at her.

"There are some games in that cabinet that we might like," she said with a suggestive smile, and then pressed her lips to his chest. "Since now I know that you're into that sort of thing," she murmured as she pressed her cheek to his beating heart and snuggled in.


	29. Enslaved

**A/N: Thanks to bigbagofweird and ninjasquid01 for their prodding. It felt so damn good.** **For the record, Alex and Nicole do not exist. No reason, really. I just didn't feel like bothering with them. I chose this title because it sounds like a good name for a really trashy romance story, doesn't it? Hey, wait! That's what this is… I only hope that it's too hot for Harlequin. Enjoy!**

**Enslaved**

"Okay, I have crossed off the disposal, the outlet and the drippy shower head," Luke said as he came down the steps holding the list she and Rory had compiled. "I used a little wood filler on the banister. It'll have to dry overnight and then I'll sand it and touch it up with a little stain." He glanced around the living room and said, "I fixed the loose baseboard and the stairs, as best I could, but they're gonna squeak. Old house, squeaky stairs."

Lorelai glanced at the clock on the DVD player and said, "Man, it's only been an hour."

"Pretty easy stuff," Luke murmured as he scanned the list again and then tore the sheet from the pad. "The bookshelf is not a problem, but I don't do flowers, so you're out of luck there. Oh, and I'm not Dick Van Dyke, so hire a chimney sweep."

"But I really wanted to hear you sing Chim Chim Cher-ee," Lorelai complained.

"Hated that movie," Luke grumbled as he tossed the pad onto the desk neatly folded the list, creasing each fold with his thumbnail.

Lorelai gasped and pressed her hand to her heart. "That's it! The wedding is off. I don't care how many spoonfuls of sugar you offer me!"

Luke looked up with a smirk and said, "Heartbreaking." He chewed the inside of his cheek and then told her, "I think I saw some paint that might match the archway in your garage, I'll check that on my way out. I'll bring some grout sealer for the tub tomorrow too… Oh, wait, I can't tomorrow, Caesar's off, so it'll have to be Friday. I have to get a new trap for the bathroom sink. I'll do that Friday too. "

"The great day!" Lorelai said as she thrust one fist into the air and Luke rolled his eyes. "But make it Saturday, please. Rory and I have big plans for Friday, and you'll be busy primping and getting pretty for my party."

"What party?" he asked with a straight face as he moved to shove the list into his pocket.

"Wait!" Lorelai said as she snatched it from him.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to add some things. You're flying through this and I want my full five hours," she said with a shrug.

"You can't add to the list," Luke argued as he tried to snatch the list back.

"I can too, my birthday isn't until Friday, so I have until 11:59 PM on Friday to make any additions or changes that I see fit," she sniffed. When he reached for it again, she held it behind her, dancing away from him so that he stumbled forward. "You need to work on your soft shoe, there, Bert. You'll step on our little penguin friends," she laughed. "Aw, Bert," she said as she clutched the list to her chest. "See? You have to sing Chim Chim Cher-ee, your toolbox is named Bert too," she cooed.

Luke waggled his fingers gesturing for Lorelai to hand over the list, but she simply smiled and tucked it into her bra. Luke blinked and then laughed as he asked, "Is that supposed to stop a guy? I've always wondered why girls do that, because you know, putting something there just makes us want to get whatever it is back even more."

Lorelai reared back, a little stunned by his blunt reference to her attributes. She glanced down at her chest and then back up at him as a slow, wicked smile spread across her face. "Come and get it," she said as she held her hands out wide.

The tips of Luke's ears nearly burst into flames, turning bright red as the flush crept up from the collar of his t-shirt. "Fine, add whatever you want," he said as he turned and stalked toward the front door. "See you Saturday," he called as he opened the door.

"Probably before that," she called after him, knowing that hermit or not, he'd still make his appearance at the party that Rory was 'secretly' planning for her. Lorelai was still grinning as the door slammed behind him. She plucked the list from her bra and leaned over the desk as she added, 'Door glass rattles when Luke slams it' to the bottom, and then folded it with a satisfied smile. She stuffed it into her purse, deciding that she could add things as she noticed them over the next two days.

She strolled back into the kitchen, plucked a Mallomar from the 'D' in 'Birthday' and took a bite as she slid into a chair. Her smile turned into a frown as she chewed thoughtfully. Lorelai looked down at her chest and then sighed as she popped the rest of the cookie into her mouth. _It's been a while since anyone had made any reference to my attributes,_ _much less attributed anything to them_, she thought sadly. _Thirty-five. Almost thirty-five,_ she corrected. _Almost thirty-five and look at me._

With a sad scowl, she plucked a Mallomar from the 'O' in 'Lorelai' and lifted the next unsuspecting victim to her lips. _And Luke! Wow. Such an un-Luke-like thing to say. Sure, we flirt and stuff, but we never cross the line. Did that cross the line?_ she asked herself as she chewed. _He didn't really say anything, but we never, never make those kinds of jokes. At least, not to each other. Okay, there has been discussion about his butt I don't start it, I'm usually just agreeing with someone because, empirically, Luke has a really nice butt. A butt like that should be appreciated. And often,_ she reasoned as she shoved the rest of the cookie into her mouth.

_But, Luke! Luke doesn't say stuff like that. He never says stuff like that. He may grunt that I look nice or something, but that's about it. Nothing like that, _Lorelai said as she reached for a cookie from the 'I' in 'Birthday'. _Those kinds of jokes mean that you've noticed that your friend was a girl. Those kinds of jokes mean that you've put a little, uh, thought into things._ She shoved the entire cookie into her mouth and munched, cheeks bulging as they flushed bright pink. _Did he notice those things? He's so damn hard to read. I bet he's hard in other ways too, _she mused, chuckling to herself as she forced the cookie down her throat. _Maybe he didn't mean me. Maybe he just meant women in general, that he'd want to grab stuff out of any woman's boobs. I mean, he is a guy after all, and they are obsessed with the things, _she thought as she lowered her gaze to her chest.

"My boobs are nice," she murmured indignantly. "He could have meant my boobs." She looked around the deserted kitchen and shook her head at her herself. "And with that we end the dirty thoughts portion of our entertainment," she muttered as she pushed up from the chair. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and twisted the cap off as she turned to survey the dent she had made in her birthday Mallomars.

Lorelai retrieved the box from the cabinet once more and saw that there were four replacements left. She replaced the first cookie, murmuring, "D," and then the second, "O," as she frowned at the hit her own name had taken. She placed the third cookie on the 'I' in 'Birthday' and then slowly drew her hand away as the message formed in her mind. Without stopping to think, Lorelai grabbed a cookie from the 'T' in 'Birthday' and shoved it into her mouth, quickly replacing it with the last Mallomar in the box. "An ode to Nike," she mumbled as she chewed.

She tossed the empty box into the trash and then grabbed her bottle of water. While she took a long drink to wash down the last cookie, she surveyed her message, making sure it was all intact. "Wish I had an 'M', coulda made it 'Do me' instead," she muttered as she quickly walked away from the too tempting table.

****

Lorelai smiled her way through the crowd exchanging greetings and accepting hugs as she made her way steadily to the punch bowl. The fight with her parents had left her a little more upset than she'd care to admit, and the fact that her own daughter had roundly criticized her for doing what she had intended to do all along didn't exactly put her in the party mood. When her father had handed over that check for $75,000, it seemed like a dream come true. All joking about Jimmy Choos aside, she had known exactly what she was going to do with that money. First, she was going to pay her parents back for Chilton, just as they had originally agreed. Then, she was going to set some aside to cover whatever expenses financial aid didn't handle for Yale. And finally, finally, she and Sookie would have a little bit of seed money in their pockets for when they finally took the leap.

It wasn't that she was ungrateful; on the contrary, she was very grateful. _Super-duper grateful_, Lorelai told herself as she stopped to chat with Morey and Babette for a moment. She was grateful to everyone. She'd held that check in her hand and knew that it would change everything. But that wasn't bad. She was grateful for it. She was the most grateful person in the world. Grateful for her dad and his need to celebrate in the most bizarre ways, for her parents for helping to make Rory's dreams come true, for this town for jumping in to help when the inn caught fire, for Sookie and Michel and Tobin for hanging in there and fighting to bring it back again, and for Rory for just existing.

Lorelai excused herself and moved to the table that held Patty's lethal punch. _Hell, wasn't it me who was sending up prayers of thanks just this afternoon when I came home to find Luke's plaid flannel shirt draped over my porch rail? If the sight of Luke Danes standing on your roof wearing nothing but a t-shirt, faded jeans and a tool belt wasn't enough to make a girl step out of her car and fall to her knees, nothing would be,_ she reasoned as she took her first sip of punch, absently waving the fumes away from her eyes. She set the cup on the table and rummaged through her purse, pulling out the list of chores she had been adding to and a pen. She quickly crossed off the few outdoor tasks she knew he had accomplished that afternoon, added 'fixed loose roof thingy' to the bottom of the list and then drew a line through it.

"Hey, Honey," Sookie said as she sidled up next to her. "Great party, huh? The kid learned from the master."

"I know, it is great," Lorelai agreed as she clicked the pen and began to fold the list.

"What's that?"

"Oh, this is the list of stuff that Luke is going to fix around the house," Lorelai said as she moved to tuck it back into her purse.

"Aw, he gave you slave labor again?"

"Yep."

"Good man."

"Yes, except he won't wear the French maid's costume I requested," Lorelai said as she picked up her punch again.

She looked up to see the man in question winding his way through the throng, obviously uncomfortable, and clearly trying to search her out. She smiled, knowing that he would eventually pop up by her side, grumble a bit about the party and the revelers, and then wish her a quick 'Happy Birthday' before scurrying back to his hidey hole.

Sookie followed Lorelai's line of vision and rolled her eyes as she said, "I can think of better things than a French maid's costume."

Lorelai grinned as she turned to her friend and said, "How about a tight t-shirt and a tool belt?"

Sookie grinned and leered playfully. "Yes, please!"

"That's what I came home to today," Lorelai said with a smug smile as she took a sip of her punch.

"Luck-ky! I came home to Jackson snoring on the couch with a bag of pretzels on his chest. Not sexy at all," Sookie complained.

"No?"

"No," Sookie said with a sad smile. "Maybe it would have been if he had been eating something really naughty, like cheesecake or something, but pretzels? There's nothing decadent about a pretzel."

"True," Lorelai agreed.

"And his socks had holes in them, so instead of looking at my husband and thinking, 'Gee, you're hot,' I was thinking, 'Man, I have to buy him more socks'," Sookie sighed. She saw Luke trying to gently extricate himself from Patty's grasp and said, "You are the only person in the world that can make him come out here."

"I didn't make him," Lorelai said, instantly defense.

"No, I said that wrong. I mean, you're the only one he would do this for…" she trailed off as she motioned to the party.

"That's not true. He comes to Rory's parties," Lorelai pointed out.

"Because you invite him to them."

Lorelai turned to her friend and asked, "What are you saying, Sook?"

"I'm saying that you're looking at the guy like he's cheesecake, and he, well, he thinks you are whatever it is that Luke would like, um, wheat germ!" she cried excitedly.

"Wheat germ? I'm wheat germ?"

"Or something like that." Sookie waved the thought away.

"I don't want to be wheat germ," Lorelai complained.

"I'm just saying that you like him, he likes you, you're both single and you're both pretty," Sookie argued.

"I didn't say I liked him like that," Lorelai instantly began to deny.

"Lorelai, it's obvious! Will you guys just do it already?" Sookie whispered. "The sexual tension is killing me. You know I'm hormonal!"

"Sookie!" Lorelai gaped at her.

"Have another cup of punch and throw yourself at him, trust me, he'll catch you," Sookie said, nodding like a bobble head doll.

"I'm not throwing myself at Luke," Lorelai hissed.

"Oh, come on! Look at him! Tell me you aren't dying to get under that flannel. Look at his hands, they're big, big hands, Lorelai. Tell me you don't want those hands," Sookie whispered. "It's been a while, right? He's your slave, make him serve you," she said with a naughty waggle of her eyebrows.

Lorelai watched as he approached wearing the same indulgent smile he had worn the week before when he snuggled into his couch and listened to her ramble about that dream. _That stupid dream that had seemed all too real. Just as real as he was._ _Solid and strong and there, always there for me._ That's just how it was with Luke, always no big deal, no big fanfare. But she was grateful for him. So grateful to have him as her friend. _Here, take my bed, let me fix your water heater, here's some coffee, a donut, a shoulder to cry on… Maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal, here take my shirt…_

"Hey," Luke said as he neared the table.

"Uh, hey, hi!" Lorelai said with a too bright smile as she and Sookie quickly straightened up to face him. "Um, punch?" she offered as she gestured to the bowl.

"Hell no," Luke guffawed.

"Probably a smart move," Lorelai agreed, and then promptly downed the rest of her cup of punch. "I think there's beer," she said as she nodded to a tub on the ground filled with ice.

Luke nodded and bent down to root through the tub to see what he could unearth. Both Sookie and Lorelai leaned forward slightly, admiring the way his worn jeans molded to his ass. They shared a glance and Sookie raised her eyebrows suggestively, causing Lorelai's cheeks to burn as she turned away from her friends to survey the party.

"So, that's some pizza," Luke said, capturing her attention as he twisted the cap off of a bottle of beer. He shook the cap, bouncing it in his palm as he nodded to the giant pizza that rested on three tables pushed together.

"Yeah, I should get some," Lorelai said, unable to tear her gaze from his hand. Sookie giggled and she snapped out of her trance. She elbowed her friend sharply and then turned quickly to look at the pizza. "It's not the world's largest, but she did beat Woodbridge, though," she added, smiling as she recalled Rory's profuse apologies. She refilled her cup with the potent punch and then turned back to Luke. "Are you gonna get some?" she asked, sending Sookie into another fit of giggles.

Luke turned to look at Sookie with a puzzled frown. "I'm sorry, uh, Kirk! I know it's not funny, but I just got the mental picture of Kirk covered in melted cheese," Sookie covered quickly.

Luke chuckled and shook his head. "You want me to get you some?" he asked Lorelai as he gestured to the pizza with his beer bottle, sending Sookie into another round of tittering.

"Oh, you don't have to," Lorelai protested, shooting her friend a quelling look.

"You're the birthday girl. I don't mind," Luke said as he set his beer on the table and tossed the bottle cap down next to it. "Be right back," he said as he headed for the giant pizza.

"I bet you don't mind," Sookie said in a low voice and then clutched her stomach as she dissolved into laughter again.

"Do I need to club you over the head?" Lorelai hissed.

"Oh Lorelai, let him get you some," Sookie gasped. "Please, please, you need to get some."

"Have you been into the punch?"

Sookie shook her head and said, "Please, I'm surprised that Jackson is even letting baby stand this close to it." She pawed at the purse on Lorelai's shoulder as she asked, "Where's that list?"

"You are not putting that on my list," Lorelai said as she jerked her shoulder away.

"No, no! We're just going to add some stuff on that needs to be done in your bedroom," Sookie insisted. "Preferably shirtless."

"Your hormones are out of control," Lorelai said as she swatted Sookie's hand. "Go home and turn your husband into a pretzel."

"Lorelai, you have the guy right there, in the palm of your hand. Don't you want to put those hands on him?" Sookie asked with a disappointed frown.

"He's my friend! He's not just some guy that I can be all, 'Hey, baby, do me now!' with," Lorelai whispered, keeping a close eye on Luke's progress with the pizza. "He's my friend."

"So tell him that you want to be more than friends," Sookie implored. "Give him the option of making it more if he wants to, you're both big kids. He can say no, Lorelai. He won't, but he can if he wants to."

"I don't know," Lorelai hedged as she chewed her bottom lip. "I don't even know if that's what I want."

"You don't? Really you don't?" Sookie asked in a voice laden with doubt.

Lorelai watched as Luke turned toward them holding three plates of pizza. "He's bringing me pizza," she murmured.

"Shirtless. He should be bringing it to you shirtless," Sookie whispered.

"Oh God, he should," Lorelai sighed.

"Let him bring you pizza shirtless, Lorelai," Sookie said in a softly pleading voice. "He wants to bring you pizza shirtless."

"You are evil." Lorelai plastered a smile onto her face and said, "Wow, how much do you think I can eat?" as he deposited the paper plates on the table.

"I know how much you can eat, but I figure there's plenty there for seconds," he said as he offered one plate to Sookie.

"Thank you, Luke," she said with a dimpled smile as she took it.

"Crap, I forgot napkins. Hang on," he said as he turned and hurried back to the tables.

"When he handed that to me, in my head he was shirtless. I hope you don't mind," Sookie murmured as they watched him grab a handful of napkins and hurry back to them.

"Not at all," Lorelai answered distractedly.

"What?" Luke said as he dropped the napkins onto the table and looked at them questioningly.

"Nothing. We were hanging on, like you said," Lorelai said as she forced her eyes to the plate he'd slid in front of her.

"I should go find Jackson," Sookie said as she began inching away from them. She hoisted her plate and said, "Thanks for getting me some," with a delighted grin.

"Sure, no problem," Luke said as he picked the excess meat from his pizza and dropped it onto Lorelai's plate without asking.

"Happy Birthday, Sweetie. I hope you get everything you want," Sookie said to Lorelai, shooting her friend a pointed look from just beyond Luke's shoulder.

"Thanks, Sook," Lorelai called distractedly as Luke dropped another pepperoni onto her plate. She watched as he licked his fingers and then picked up his diminished slice of pizza. "Thank you," she murmured as she added his discarded toppings to her pizza.

"Anytime," he answered as he chewed. "This isn't bad," he said as he surveyed the slice in his hand.

"I hear that Pete was working under duress. Young Miss Gilmore can be a very determined woman," Lorelai said as she carefully lifted the precariously piled pizza to her lips.

"Wonder where she gets that from," he muttered as he set his pizza down and reached for his beer.

"Not from me," Lorelai answered quickly, causing Luke to snort.

"No, not at all," he said dryly as he lifted the bottle to his lips.

"Thanks for coming to my party," she said quietly.

Luke shot her a sidelong glance and said, "I figured I'd save you the trip to the diner to drag me out here."

"That's very considerate."

"My gift to you," he said with a shrug. "Speaking of gifts, what's left on the list? You done adding to it?"

"Oh, uh, not yet," she stammered, focusing intently on the plate in her hand.

Luke looked at his watch and said, "Well, you only have two hours and eight minutes left."

Lorelai smiled as she picked up her punch and took a quick sip. Her smile faded into a grimace as she set the cup down quickly and said, "Ew, pizza and punch, not a taste treat."

Luke smirked as he turned to the tub of ice and bent down to dig out a bottle of beer for her. Lorelai stifled a sigh as she eyed the curve of his ass. When he straightened, she forced her eyes to go somewhere just past his shoulder, where they lit on Sookie. Her friend was grinning madly as she sat at a table absently rubbing Jackson's thigh as he talked to Andrew. She lifted her hand from his leg, and surreptitiously pinched her thumb and forefinger together, giving Lorelai the 'Okay' sign.

Lorelai looked at Luke as he twisted the cap from a beer and offered it to her. "Thank you," she murmured. Her fingers brushed his as she reached for the bottle, and she couldn't help but notice that way Luke's gaze jumped to her face. She cocked her head and asked, "Will you stay for a while? I mean, I know you've made your usual appearance, but you don't have to go right away, do you?"

Luke blinked in surprise and asked, "Do you want me to stay?"

"Sure. For a little while," she said with a shrug, trying to sound casual.

Luke looked at his watch again and said, "You have two hours and five minutes."

****

Lorelai was having a great time; all of the evening's earlier upset had been left in the dust as the party rolled along. The pizza was barely even a quarter depleted, and the music was blaring from Patty's studio sound system, and Luke had stayed. He had stayed at the party, and he had stayed pretty close to her all evening. He had stayed, fetching her beer and pizza and cake without having to be asked. He had stayed, occasionally placing a hand gently on her back as she wove through the crowd. Each time she could get close enough to someone, she'd tilt her head, sneaking peeks at watches and cell phones in order to keep track of the time. She had eleven minutes left. Eleven minutes to decide whether it was time to make a move.

The question of whether she wanted him or not had disappeared over an hour before. Someone jostled Kirk and his cup punch spilled down the arm of Luke's flannel. Amidst much grumbling and complaining, Luke quickly shed the soaked shirt, and stood there clutching it as she took in the snug t-shirt tucked tightly into his jeans. He mumbled something about heading home, and in that moment, it seemed like the entire night was crumbling around her. And then, she thought that all of her questions about whether he wanted her or not were answered when she realized that it was a little too easy to convince him to stay.

It was almost like a dance. One step closer, one step back. His arm would brush hers occasionally. She didn't know if it was an accident or on purpose. She didn't care; she just wanted it to happen again. She'd lean in close and whisper into his ear, and she would swear that she could feel him shiver. They say that alcohol dulls the senses, but Lorelai had never felt more alert, more in tune, more aroused than she did at that moment. The anticipation was killing her, the anticipation was thrilling her. It seemed as if she and Luke were no longer a question of 'if' but instead 'when'. She couldn't explain how it had happened. She couldn't pinpoint exactly when the shift had occurred. All that she knew for sure was that it had.

Luke clutched his bottle of beer, keeping his fingers wrapped firmly around the cool glass for fear that if he let go, he wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself. _We don't do this. We don't sit with her thigh pressing into mine. We don't touch, at least not on purpose. Lorelai doesn't whisper directly into my ear, she doesn't lean against my shoulder when she laughs, and the flirting, the flirting was completely out of control._ He watched her carefully, trying to determine if she was drunk. He'd seen her drunk before, and she didn't seem to be, but they don't do this, so there had to be an explanation. _There's a reason that we don't do this. I need to get out of here. I need to go home before I do something stupid. Maybe I'm drunk. Am I drunk?_ he wondered as he let the conversation eddy and flow around him. He jerked upright as he thought, _I'm not drunk and she just squeezed my knee. _

"Hmm?" he asked as he turned toward her. _See? She squeezed my knee! We don't squeeze knees! Bump them maybe with a fist, but squeezing knees; that's way out of bounds,_ he told himself.

"Aw, come on, Luke, that was funny," she said with a cajoling jab of her elbow.

"I'm sorry, I was just, I should probably go," he said as he pushed on the table to leverage himself from the bench.

"Go? Why? We're having a good time," she protested.

"It's late. I have to get up early," he said gruffly as he disentangled his legs from the picnic table.

"What time is it?" she demanded as she grabbed his wrist and turned it so that she could read it. "Six minutes! I have six minutes left!"

Luke glanced uneasily at the townies who were watching the exchange with too much interest. He looked around at the various tables and mumbled, "I, uh, I need to find my shirt."

"I used to have the same problem at parties," Patty purred.

As the others laughed, Lorelai stood up and climbed over the bench. "I took it inside with my purse," she told him. "I'll get it," she told him, and then hurried toward the dance studio.

Once inside she pulled the list and her pen from her purse, and quickly crossed off a few of the lesser items, scrawled something next to one of the others, and then added one more to the list. She tossed the pen back into her purse and carefully folded the note as the studio sound system began blaring _The Electric Slide_. Lorelai took a deep breath and pressed the folded paper to her chest as she bent to scoop his shirt up off of the floor. She turned toward the sliding door and found Luke standing in the opening with his hands buried deep in his jeans pockets.

"Thanks for coming," she said as she approached.

"No problem," he said with a slight nod. "Always good to leave when the line dances start up, though," he said as he jerked his head toward the gathering of sliders on the lawn outside.

"Good rule to live by," she agreed as she stopped just in front of him and held up his punch stained shirt.

"I think so." Luke smiled as he spotted the folded paper curled in her hand. "Don't drink too much. I don't want to hear you complaining if I have to nail something tomorrow," he warned gruffly.

Lorelai's eyes widened for a moment and then she stifled a laugh. "I won't," she promised.

"What did you add?"

"Just one thing," she said as she glanced down, still clutching the list.

"Okay. Well, I, uh, I should go. I have to open tomorrow and, um, I should be over sometime around mid-morning."

"Okay," Lorelai said softly as she dared a peek at his face.

He smiled and said, "Hand it over."

"Oh," she said as she held the paper up for him to take, still watching him carefully.

Luke pulled the paper from her fingers as he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek, barely missing her lips. "Happy Birthday, Lorelai," he said quietly, and then turned to leave.

Lorelai blinked and then he was gone. She stepped out of the door and saw him shoving the list into the back pocket of his jeans as he stepped off of the curb. She gasped as she realized he wasn't going to read it. "Luke, wait!" she called after him as she hurried down the steps. But Luke didn't break stride. He ignored the stepping, rocking, sliding and hopping of the dancers as he crossed the street, gulping in deep breaths of air as he hurried to the safety of the diner.

"Luke!" Lorelai called over the pulsating music.

"Mom!" Rory called as she ran over, grasping Lorelai by the arms to stop her. "Mom, you have to see this," she said as she pulled Lorelai away from the curb and into the throng of dancers.

Lorelai peeled her eyes from Luke's retreating back and forced herself to look in the direction that Rory was pointing. "Oh my God!" Lorelai cried as she covered her eyes with her hands. She peeped through her parted fingers just in time to see Taylor pulling his bow tie from his collar with a suggestive leer and swing it around before tossing it into the crowd of fellow dancers. "Oh my God!" she cried as she reached over and shielded Rory's eyes. "Time to go!"

"Oh, don't worry, dear, he won't get further than his boxers, he never does," Patty assured her.

"This has happened before?" Lorelai gasped.

"Oh, yes. At least once every two or three years, he forgets what a punch that punch packs."

"Don't we all," Lorelai grumbled, even though she knew she couldn't blame the punch this time. _Sookie. I'll blame Sookie,_ she decided.

"I usually take a lot of pictures, you know, just in case he wants to pass an ordinance I don't like," Patty said with a shrug.

"Do you make copies?" Lorelai asked.

Patty smiled and patted Lorelai's cheek. "My birthday gift to you, darling. I'll keep a spare set in the studio in case you need them," she promised.

"Thanks," Lorelai said as she shook her head. She spotted Rory leading Jess away from the floorshow and then turned to look at the darkened diner. She slipped from the crowd, moved to the curb and watched until she saw a light come on in the second floor apartment. She waited, watching as the crowd dispersed and Andrew and Morey gathered an armload of clothing and led a half-naked, babbling Taylor Doose toward home.

Patty came over to give her a hug and said, "It's not a party 'till someone takes their clothes off. Every year I hope it's going to be Luke, but sadly it never is."

"Yeah, it never is," Lorelai concurred. "Well, hope springs eternal, right Patty?"

"Yes, it does, dear. Yes, it does," Patty murmured as she wandered away.

Lorelai looked up at the apartment and saw that the only light left aglow was the same one he had left on for Jess the night she had stayed there. With a sigh, Lorelai turned and went to look for Rory. She needed to go home and figure out how she was going to possibly talk her way out of this mess.

****

_Me? What does 'Me' mean? Does 'Me' mean what I think it means?_ he asked himself for the hundredth time. Luke stood in his apartment holding the creased sheet of paper in a hand that shook a little more than he'd care to admit. _No, it can't be that. Fix me? Could be what she means? Fix what for her?_ He wanted to go back down there. He wanted to ask her what it meant. He just didn't want to do it in front of a hundred of her closest friends and neighbors. _She'd had dinner at her parents tonight. That never goes well. Maybe something happened there that she needed help with. She squeezed my knee. The touching. There was a lot of touching. And when she stood there holding this list, it was almost as if she was waiting for something, wanting me to do something, _he thought as he dropped tiredly down onto the couch. He ran his hand over his face and pulled down on his cheeks as he stared at the loopy scrawl on the bottom of the page. _God, I hope 'Me' means what I think it means. I mean, come on, she added 'Shirtless' to 'Bathroom sink won't drain'._

****

Lorelai took a deep breath and then opened the front door. "Good morning," she said with a bright smile.

"Hey, your slave has returned," Luke answered. "I, uh, got the trap for your sink," he said as he held up a plumbing part, suddenly nervous in the blinding glare of her smile.

"You are the man," she said as she stepped back to let him pass.

Luke glanced from Lorelai to the stairs and then said, "So, uh, Rory and Jess went to Hartford?"

Lorelai nodded. "The public library is having their annual book sale, apparently it kicks Stars Hollow Library's butt. Imagine that."

Luke nodded, shifting from foot to foot. "Well, I'll, uh, get to it," he said as he grabbed the banister and swung to the steps.

"Oh, okay," Lorelai murmured as she watched him dash up the stairs. She stood frozen to the spot for a minute and then trudged to the couch. She sat perched on the edge of the cushion, trying to figure out what to do. At last, she decided that the best thing to do was just come clean. She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders as she slowly stood up and then followed him up the stairs.

"Listen, Luke, about the list," she began as she reached the top of the stairs. She rounded the corner and peered into the bathroom, drawing up short when she saw him rooting under her sink. His back was bare. Completely bare. She stared at the smooth, lightly tanned skin that covered rippling muscles, and had to force herself to close her mouth.

"What about it?" Luke asked as he pulled his head back from under the sink and sat back on his heels.

"You have no shirt on," she pointed out.

Luke made a show of glancing down at the list spread open next to his knee. "It says 'Bathroom sink won't drain', and then it said 'shirtless'. I thought that meant I was supposed to fix it without my shirt on. What did it mean?" he asked as he looked up at her.

"That," she whispered as she stood immobile in the doorway.

"You're the boss," he said as he plucked a tool out of the toolbox he had left in her hallway and ducked back under the sink.

He didn't have to see her to know she was staring at him. He had to admit, he didn't mind. There weren't many people in this world he was willing to make a complete ass of himself for, but Lorelai was definitely one of them. And if her actions last night were going to carry over into the light of day, he wanted to know, and he wanted to know now. This just seemed like the easiest way to find out. He grunted softly as he loosened the nuts and then removed the old trap. "Crap," he muttered as a trickle of water trapped in the open pipes leaked out. "Towel?"

"Huh?" Lorelai jumped, tearing her eyes from the waistband of his underwear showing in the gap of his jeans.

"Can you hand me a towel?" he asked, reaching back blindly.

"Oh!" Lorelai yanked a hand towel from the bar and placed it in his hand. "Sorry."

Luke used the towel to catch the drips and then sat back to coat the threads on the new trap with plumber's putty. He picked up the new part, the color rising in his cheeks as he gruffly asked, "Enjoying the show?"

Lorelai laughed and said, "Oh yeah."

Luke rolled his eyes, but then kept them focused intently on the threads as he dipped his finger into a jar of putty and then applied a liberal coating. "What does 'Me' mean?" he asked without looking up.

"Me?"

"Yeah, 'Me'. What did that mean?" he asked, risking a quick glance in her direction as he wiped the excess putty on his faded jeans.

"I don't know," she answered with a shrug.

"Okay," he drew the word out and he moved back under the sink.

Lorelai watched him, listening as he fitted the part into place and tightened it a bit with his hands. "What did you think it meant?" she asked curiously.

Luke snorted and said, "Probably not what you meant." He picked up the wrench and began tightening the nuts on the new trap, his movements jerky and a bit too rough. His hand slipped and the momentum caused him to whack it hard against the inside of the vanity. "Aw, crap!" he grunted.

"Are you okay?" Lorelai asked as she dropped to her knees next to him.

"I'm fine," he growled.

"Let me see," she said as she tugged on his arm.

"Its fine, Lorelai, I just banged it."

"Dirty, and let me see," she said with a soft laugh.

Luke ducked his head as he crawled out from under the vanity and held up the knuckles he had rapped against the wooden cabinet. He flexed his hand around the wrench that he still held and said, "See? Not broken."

"Good," Lorelai said as she grabbed his hand and tried to pull it to her lips.

"Careful," Luke said softly as he pulled it away and set the heavy wrench down. "There," he said as he offered her his hand again.

Lorelai smiled as she bent her head and kissed the bruised knuckles softly. She looked up at him from under her lashes, still holding his hand as she said, "Me, Luke, I meant me."

He closed the fingers of his sore hand around hers and pulled it to his bare chest as he leaned over and kissed her before she could change her mind. Their lips clung softly to one another's as he pulled away and slowly opened his eyes. "I was hoping that was what you meant," he admitted quietly.

"Yeah?"

"It complicates a lot of stuff, though," he said worriedly as he met her gaze.

"How so?"

"We're friends. Your daughter is dating my nephew. I don't want to be your slave for just another hour and forty-five minutes," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai nodded slowly and cocked her head as she studied him closely. "How about this? We stay friends no matter what, we agree never to double date with Rory and Jess because that would just be too weird, and I would be open to you being my slave for as long as you want to be."

Luke chuckled as he shook his head and said, "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"No? Do you have a better idea?"

"Well, sure. The first two parts I totally agree with, but the last one, I think it would be better if you were my slave."

Lorelai laughed and ducked her head as she shook it slowly. "I'm sorry. My membership in the National Organization for Woman doesn't allow that."

"I see. Well, we could always just leave that hour and forty-five minutes open for household repairs," he said with a shrug.

"What about the other stuff?" she asked.

"That, I would be willing to do on my own time."

"You would?"

"If you are."

"I am."

"So, we're agreed?" he asked.

"We're agreed," she confirmed. "And you're shirtless. I can't believe that you actually took your shirts off," she murmured as she let her hand trail down the center of his chest.

"Well, it was a household repair," he said as he tucked his chin to his chest, watching her fingers glide over the hair on his stomach. When they stopped just short of the button on jeans, Luke raised both hands to her hair and cradled her face in his palms as he kissed her hungrily, rising up on his knees in his need to get closer to her. Lorelai tipped her head back and parted her lips. When his tongue traced her bottom lip, she moaned softly and arched against him.

"We're on the bathroom floor," she whispered breathlessly as he broke the kiss.

"I don't care," Luke said as he let his hands slip down her neck, his fingers trailing lightly over her jaw.

"You should, I can't remember the last time I cleaned it."

Luke chuckled, a smile lighting his face as he drank in the sight of her. And then it faded. "Aw, geez, I got putty in your hair," he said as he reached for the afflicted strands, and tried to wipe it away with his thumb and middle finger.

Lorelai laughed and said, "We're not very smooth are we?"

"No," he agreed, flashing a sheepish smile. "Got it," he said as he lowered his hand, holding up his index finger as he said, "I should wash this."

"Go ahead," she answered with a nod.

"Sink's not fixed," he reminded her.

"Do you want me to leave you alone so you can finish it?"

"God, no," he barked with a laugh. "I didn't take my shirts off to fix the damn sink."

"Tub works," she said with a grin.

"Yes, it does," Luke said as he sat back and glared at his finger. "Don't lose my spot," he said as he shifted on his knees to lean over the tub and start the faucet. He reached up and grabbed a bottle from the shelf and popped the lid.

"That's shampoo," she pointed out with an amused smile.

"Doesn't matter, it's all soap," he said as he squeezed a dab onto his finger dropped the bottle into the tub and began to scrub the drying plumber's putty from his finger. As he held his hands under the faucet to rinse them, Lorelai took advantage of the situation and ran her hand over the worn seat of his jeans.

Luke jumped and straightened his back. "Hey," he growled.

"I wanted to do that so bad last night," she said with an impish grin. "Sookie did too, but she's married. I'm not."

"Stop," he grumbled as he turned the water off. He shook the excess water from his hands and asked, "Towel?"

Lorelai reached around him and grabbed the bath sheet from the bar next to the tub, holding the fluffy pink terrycloth between them as she covered his hands with it. "It's a little bit of overkill, but it'll do," she said as she gently rubbed his hands between the folds of the towel. Luke watched as she painstakingly dried his hands and then tossed the towel behind her. "Would you serve me pizza shirtless?" she asked as she looked up at him teasingly.

"Sure, if you want me to," he answered easily.

Lorelai's smile grew as she said, "That might be nice sometime."

"Would you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows challengingly.

"Well, it would only be fair," she said with a shrug.

Luke laughed. "I can't believe were talking about this."

"I know."

He reached for her, urging her up to her knees as he pulled her against his bare chest. "I can't believe we're talking at all," he murmured as he lowered his lips to hers.

Lorelai hummed softly, melting into the feel of his lips gliding over hers. When he took the kiss deeper, she responded enthusiastically, her tongue tangling with his, dancing in slow circles as she drank him in. Luke's hands stayed firmly on her waist, that is, until one of hers slid down to his ass as squeezed appreciatively. He pushed her back, refusing to relinquish his hold on her lips or body as she swung her legs out from under her and kicked his toolbox.

"Ow!" she gasped as her bare foot made contact with the heavy metal box.

"Shit, sorry," he said as he turned to reach for her foot.

"I'm okay," she said as she pulled on his arms; redirecting his attention as she rolled back onto the towel she had just discarded. Her hands slid down to his and lifted them from her waist, pulling them higher as he followed her down to the floor. Luke groaned and kissed her heatedly as his hand closed over her breast, rubbing her gently through the thin cotton of her t-shirt. He freed his other hand to pull at the hem of her shirt, pushing it up over her stomach as his tongue circled hers.

"More," she gasped as he pressed urgent kisses to her cheek and jaw, sliding down a bit to scrape his teeth over the soft skin of her neck.

"More," he agreed as he pushed her shirt up and pulled her up from the floor to strip it off. As she lay back on the towel, he looked down, his eyes roaming over her pale, freckled skin down to the curves of her breasts spilling over the lacy cups of a low cut push up bra. "More," he murmured as he lowered his lips to the sweet valley between them and licked softly, tasting her skin, inhaling her perfume.

Lorelai grasped his head, pushing her fingers into his hair and holding him there as she pushed up off of the floor, rising to meet his questing lips as they trailed over the top of each breast. He traced one lacy edge with his tongue, and then groaned as he began to kiss his way back up to her neck. "Where are you going? Wrong way," she whispered frantically.

"I don't want to get too carried away," he murmured against her skin.

"Yes, get carried away. Get carried away and take me with you," she urged.

"Lorelai," he whispered, his voice cracking with need as he nipped at her earlobe.

"Get carried away, Luke," she said as she pulled him up to her and kissed him hard and hot.

Luke's hand covered her breast again, this time squeezing her harder and causing her to moan against his mouth. He brushed his thumb over the stiff peak jutting at the lace and answered with his own groan as he moved back down again, covering her skin with hot, open-mouth kisses. He covered her nipple with his mouth, pulling her against his tongue as it rasped the lace. He slipped on finger under the clasp of her bra, and pushed with his thumb to open it.

Lorelai felt the material give and smiled at the ceiling as she panted, "Oh, you're good, you're good." He brushed the lace aside impatiently and covered her other breast with his palm as he suckled her hard. "So good," she gasped, her hips circling against his torso.

"You're making me crazy," he growled as he moved to her other breast.

"Go faster," she urged.

"Don't wanna," he said as he caught the beaded tip of her breast between his teeth, and then sucked her into his mouth.

"Please go faster," she pled as she pressed her hands to his back, holding him there as she ground against him wantonly.

"But…"

"I thought about you all night. Would you read it? Would it shock you? Would you want me?" she whispered.

"Stupid question," he muttered as he nuzzled the soft underside of her breast.

"Would you come here today? Would I have to talk my way out of it? Would you please go faster?" she said breathlessly.

"I've waited a long time for this," he said as he looked up at her. "I'm not gonna rush it."

"But the Rory, Jess…" she tried lamely.

"Are just now getting to Hartford," he answered and he kissed his way back to her other breast.

"Damn," she hissed between her teeth. He slid his hand down over her stomach, tracing the fly of her jeans as he traced the outline of her nipple with the tip of his tongue. He blew gently on the rigid peak and then pulled her into his mouth as he slid his hand down further, cupping her through her jeans. Lorelai groaned and began to undulate shamelessly against his hand.

"So hot," Luke murmured as he pressed his open mouth to her stomach. "I can feel how hot you are." It was true, the heat of her arousal seeped through her jeans, searing his fingers as the pressed against her.

"I thought about you last night," she whispered.

"Oh geez," Luke said as he tore at the button on her jeans left handed, refusing to relinquish his hold on her yet. "Don't tell me that."

"I thought about you," she repeated. "I thought about you coming over here. I thought about you touching me. Kissing me," she said breathlessly.

"Shh. Shh. Don't tell me that," Luke said desperately as he pressed his fingers against her harder, wishing he could tear through the unforgiving denim to get to her. He fought with the zipper on her jeans, jerking it down clumsily as she rode his hand.

"I wanted you to. I wanted you to come over here. I wanted you," she continued, lost in a haze of desire. "I wanted you to come for me." Luke's eyes widened as he absorbed her words, wondering exactly which meaning he was supposed to read into them. Lorelai wet her dry lips. "Me, Luke, me."

"You," he answered as he pressed the heel of his hand to her mound, watching in awe as she ground against him completely out of control.

He reached for the waistband of her jeans and began to lift his hand from between her legs, but Lorelai grabbed his arm and held him there, wrapping both hands around his wrist. Soundless words formed on her lips, dissipating into soft puffs of air punctuated with only the soft whimpers caught at the back of her throat. He stared down at her, his lips parted with naked desire as he watched her peak. "Oh my God," he whispered as she moaned his name. A slow, incandescent smile spread across her lips and she opened drowsy eyes and peered up at him, too satisfied and smug to feel even the slightest hint of embarrassment.

Luke couldn't help but return the smile, stunned by her response to his touch, awed by her almost reckless abandon. "Wow."

"Wow," Lorelai purred as she reached up and cupped the back of his neck, pulling him down for a slow, sensuous kiss.

Luke covered her body with his, pressing his obvious arousal against her with the same unapologetic and unrestrained desire she had shown. He framed her face with his hands as he pulled away and looked down into her sparkling blue eyes. "I'm taking you to bed," he told her in a matter of fact tone.

"Fine."

Luke's lips curved into a smile as he chuckled softly and said, "I'm taking you to bed and I want you to do that again."

Lorelai smiled slyly and said simply, "Okay by me."

He pushed up and off of her, his eyes straying to her rose tipped breasts as he hovered over her on his hands and knees. "Do that again, and I'll be your slave," he said in a voice hoarse with desire.

"Well, there's an offer a girl can't refuse," Lorelai answered, sitting up as he rocked back onto his heels.

She let him pull her to her feet, smiled as he wrapped a steadying arm around her waist, and then reached behind her, taking his hand as she led him into her bedroom. Stopping just beside the bed, she released his hand, but kept her eyes on his as she pushed her jeans and panties down over her hips, swaying from side to side as she worked them down over her thighs and then stepped on the hems to pull her long legs free of them. "Your turn," she said as she tucked her fingers into the waistband of his jeans and pulled him a little closer.

Luke looked down, watching as her nimble fingers opened his pants and then slipped under the waistband of his boxers to slide them down along with the denim. He looked up as his straining cock sprung free of the material and answered her small smile of satisfaction with one of his own. He clenched his hands into tight fists as she knelt down in front of him; her breath teasing and stirring the curls at the base of his erection, her dark hair softly caressing the taut skin as she untied first one boot and then the other. He stepped out of them as she tugged on each calf in turn, and then swallowed hard as she peeled the rest of his clothing from his body. As she rose up on her knees once more, Lorelai place a single open mouthed kiss to the top of his left thigh, knocking his legs out from under him as she swirled her tongue over his skin.

Luke sat down on the edge of the mattress, hardly noticing as it bounced under his weight, his eyes fixed on the top of her dark head as she traced the length of him with the very tip of her tongue. He grasped her shoulders, sliding his hands to her upper arms and pulled her up, his muscles straining as at first she refused to budge. "Please," he whispered, causing her to look up. Luke released her arms but held his open, offering her his embrace.

Lorelai smiled as she pressed her hands to his thighs and pushed to her feet. "Do you need a hug?" she teased.

"Oh yeah," Luke said with a laugh. "That's what I wanted."

"I thought so," Lorelai said as she lifted one knee to the edge of the mattress and then swung the other up to straddle him.

Luke's hands flew to her hips, holding her steady in his firm grasp as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Luke lifted his face to hers, his eyes dark and slumberous. Lorelai kissed him softly letting her lips melt against his as she let her knees slide apart, lowering herself onto him. Luke groaned low and loud as he felt her wet heat teasing the tip of his erection. He released her hip, sliding his hand down over her ass and between her legs. Lorelai moaned as she kissed him harder, circling her hips teasingly against his cock. Luke stroked her damp folds, parting her with his fingers and grunting softly into her mouth as he positioned himself at her entrance.

They froze poised on the brink and he pulled back, his chest heaving as he looked up at her. At her slight nod, he grasped both of her hips again and pulled her down onto him. Lorelai's moan drowned out the hissed breath he released as he filled her. He reached up, cradling the base of her neck, feeling the wild tumble of her hair spilling over his hand as he pressed into her shoulders, holding her down on him. He pressed a soft, tender kiss to her throat, smiling as she purred in response and then began to move. His breath caught in his chest as she slid slowly up and down his shaft, rising up until the very tip of him clung to her damp flesh, and then sliding back down, her body pressed against his as she impaled herself on him.

As she moved faster, his kisses grew more frantic, his lips clinging to the tender skin as his teeth scraped over her windpipe. Lorelai was thrilled by the hint of implied danger coupled with his barely constrained desire. She arched back, grinding her pelvis against his with each stroke, reveling in the feel of his fingers digging into the muscles in her shoulders as he pulled her down harder and harder. She felt her climax building again, coiling tightly low in her belly as his eyes fell to her bouncing breasts. She watched as he ducked his head, desperate to capture her with his lips, his breathing ragged with frustration. She leaned back further, hovering over the abyss as he slid his other hand up to brace her back, knowing that she'd always be safe in his hands.

Luke managed to catch her nipple, tugging it desperately into his mouth and groaning his disappointment as another thrust of her hips tore his prize from his grasp. "I'll be your slave," she whispered as she let her head fall back, grinding against him desperately.

"Oh yes," he breathed a whispered prayer of gratitude as he looked up, his eyes locked on her face as he felt her tighten around his cock.

"You came for me," she murmured as she felt her control snap and the waves of pleasure uncoiling wildly inside of her.

"Yes, yes, yes," Luke grunted as he pressed his feet to the floor and thrust up into her. He released his stranglehold on his own need and drove up, the mattress bouncing and squeaking with each push of his powerful thighs. He filled her hard and hot, pulling her down onto him and holding her there as he pulsed inside of her, carried by the feel of her closing tightly around him, pulling him deeper still.

He buried his face in the curve of her neck, his lips brushing softly against her collarbone as he gasped for the breath that eluded him. Lorelai wrapped herself around him, running her hands over the smooth hard muscles in his back greedily, scraping her nails lightly along the line of his spine. And then she laughed. Luke couldn't help it, the sound of her laughter always inspired his own, and at the moment he didn't have the strength or the desire to bite it back.

"For the love of coffee, why the hell haven't we done that before?" she asked in a voice filled with amused wonder.

"Beats me," he managed to answer.

"No, I won't beat you, you're an excellent slave," she said with a smug smile.

"I thought you were mine," he said as he pressed soft kisses to the hollow between her collarbone and shoulder. "You said you would be."

"I'll be yours if you'll be mine," she counter-offered.

"Great," he said with a contented sigh.

Lorelai smoothed her hands over his hair and whispered, "We should get up."

Luke shook his head and said, "There are books. Lots and lots of books. They won't be back for hours."

Lorelai smiled as he rocked back onto the bed, pulling her down on top of him. "You're probably right."

Luke smoothed her hair back from her face, gathering it in his fingers so that he could look up at her. "I'm making a list of things I need you to do for me," he told her gravely.

"Me too," Lorelai said as kissed him softly, pecking gently at his lips, coaxing them until they curved into that devastating smile that made her stomach flutter. "And it'll be my pleasure," she answered.

"Mine too. Mine too," Luke said as he hugged her tightly.

Lorelai settled into his neck, nuzzling him with her nose until she found a perfectly comfortable spot. "Happy birthday to me," she sighed happily.

"Happy birthday, Lorelai," he whispered into her hair.


	30. Dirty Deals for the Eager to Please

**A/N: This chapter is for Jewels, cheerleader extraordinaire and unabashed smut junkie. Here's a dirty little story for an episode that she requested. There isn't a lot of fluff to cushion the pushin', that's just the way it happens sometimes. This is a season four episode, but I did not deal with Luke's marital status. Married, divorced, never met the stick insect, or separated; you can make it whatever floats your boat, it's not gonna change anything.**

**Dirty Deals for the Eager to Please**

Lorelai burst through the diner door and demanded, "Give him his ice-cream truck!"

Luke looked up, forgetting all about the hangover cure ingredients he was straightening up, "What?"

"I forged a stream and I almost got attacked by a beaver, and I'm not leaving here till you agree."

"To what?"

"You don't own the street, you own the building. It's a public street. Just let him park his stupid truck."

"I'm missing something here."

"Don't change the subject."

"I don't even know what the subject is."

"If you let Taylor park his stupid ringy-dingy ice-cream truck - not even in front of the diner, but in front of part of the diner - then I can start work on the inn. But if you don't say yes, then you may not have to see his truck parked outside, but you will have to see my body swinging from that tree over there because I will hang myself. I am waiting for your answer," she told him, wrung out and breathless.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Lorelai looked around the deserted diner and murmured, "You know what, I've learned something very valuable here today. Very valuable."

"Uh, good."

"I've had a business epiphany. It's like I'm Bud Fox, saying, 'Thanks for the lesson, Mr. Gekko.'" Without so much as drawing a breath, she rambled on, "The Lorelai you knew is dead. Remember her? The eager to please, fresh of face? She thought that success in business meant working hard, applying yourself, and respecting your coworkers, and she preached that to others - oh, little child," she said with a pitying shake of her head.

Luke frowned and said, "You should probably get some rest."

"It's about scratching backs, my friend, and kissing things - I won't be graphic," she said as she held up a cautionary hand.

"It is Sunday morning," Luke answered stoically.

"It's dirty, that's what business is. It's smoke-filled back rooms with exposed pipes and shady players chewing on fat cigars and twirling their dirty mustaches. And when you go into those rooms, you can't be a milquetoast muppet. You have to have pointy teeth and jaws that snap. The meek shall not inherit the earth!"

"Thanks for the perspective."

Lorelai looked around as she sank onto a stool. "Do you have any coffee?"

Luke snorted as he began cleaning up again. "I'm not giving you coffee."

"Are you going to let him?"

"Let him who do what?"

"Are you gonna let Taylor park his ice cream truck out front?" she demanded.

Luke looked up with a scowl. "What ice cream truck?"

"Catch up, Luke!" Lorelai snapped.

"Hey, I'm not the one babbling about forging streams, beaver attacks, getting schooled by geckos," he pointed out.

Lorelai took a deep calming breath and then slowly, painstakingly explained, "Taylor wants to buy an ice cream truck, but the only place that he can park it would partially block the diner. He won't approve my permits so that we can start construction until I use my 'pull' with you to get you to say yes to his ice cream truck."

"Pull?"

Lorelai shrugged and threw her hands in the air. "Pull! Influence! Grease! Muscle, whatever! He's holding my inn hostage until I get you to agree, and I'm not leaving until you do!"

Luke's eyes widened as he reared back. Lorelai's eyes blazed as they bore into him, waiting for his answer. He blinked a few times and then his brows knit, the words forming slowly as he asked, "What's in it for me?"

"What?"

"Well, backs are being scratched and things are being kissed. You get what you want, Taylor gets his stupid truck, what do I get? What are you gonna give me to say yes?"

Lorelai gaped at him. "Me?"

"Well, you have the pull," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Seems like I should get something out of the deal too. A little scratching, maybe some kissing."

"Luke! I can't believe you!"

"Well?" he prodded.

"Well what? What do you want?" she asked. Lorelai's jaw dropped as his eyebrows shot up and he gave her a pointed look. She gasped; her eyes growing as big as saucers as she stared at him. "You think I'm gonna sleep with you to get a permit?" she hissed, incredulous.

"I never said that."

"You were thinking it!"

"I was not, but apparently you were," he answered as he unfolded his arms and placed his palms on the counter top, leaning in closer.

"This isn't funny!"

"Well, I was joking, but I don't think I am anymore," he replied easily.

"Luke!"

"You don't have to sleep with me; that might be a bit much," he conceded with a shrug.

"You think?"

"I do want something, though," he told her.

"What?"

"Dinner."

"Dinner? You want me to buy you dinner?" she asked with a confused frown.

"No, I want you to have dinner with me."

"Have dinner with you?"

"Yep."

"So, if I have dinner with you, you'll let Taylor park his truck out in front?"

"Sure."

"Sure what?" she asked cautiously.

"Have dinner with me upstairs, tonight, and he can park it there. What do I care?"

"Oh, don't kid around here."

Luke smirked and said, "Your life's at stake. I wouldn't kid around."

"That easy?" she asked suspiciously.

"That easy," he confirmed.

"Because, you know I'm not that easy, right?"

"Right. Deal?" he asked as he offered her his hand to shake.

"Deal," Lorelai said as she slipped her hand into his, watching as his fingers closed around it, almost engulfing her hand. "Why did you say no before?" she asked curiously as she gently slid her hand from his.

"When?"

"When Taylor asked you before?"

Luke shrugged and shook his head. "He never asked me before."

Lorelai's brow knit into a puzzled frown. "He never asked?"

Luke continued shaking his head. "Not about a truck." He thought back for a moment and then said, "About a giant ice cream cone a few months back. I said no to that. Probably why he thought I'd say no to the truck."

"He never asked?" she murmured.

"Nope."

"But you're fine with this, the truck I mean, and he could have asked?"

"It's a public street."

"And you would have said yes?"

"I'd have said yes," Luke confirmed.

"And I wouldn't have had to go through all this," she whispered to herself.

"Probably not."

"You're good with the truck?"

"I'm good with the truck." Luke looked up at her through his lashes, his voice deep and a little uncertain as he asked, "You still good with dinner?"

Lorelai stood up and said, "A deal is a deal. What time?"

"Seven?"

"Seven it is," she said as she held out her hand.

Luke took her hand once more and shook it, holding on a moment long than he normally would at the conclusion of a successful negotiation. "That doesn't mean that I wouldn't be receptive to your previous offer, though. Just so we're clear."

"Crystal," Lorelai answered in a dazed tone.

"But, I figure I can handle that negotiation without having to resort to the threat of Taylor," he said in a low voice.

Lorelai watched his fingers open and release her hand. She frowned at the sudden loss of its warmth, and then looked up at him, her confusion clearly written on her face.

"Coffee?" Luke asked as he moved to the coffee maker, lifting the pot and a to-go cup in one fluid motion.

Lorelai cleared her throat nervously and then said, "I don't have time for coffee. I gotta go find Taylor and close this deal. You think he's back at the store?" she babbled, looking around the diner as it Taylor might be lurking under on of the tables.

"Or having his dirty mustache cleaned," Luke answered as he filled the cup anyway and then reached for a lid. His fingers curled around the top of the cup as he pressed down, making sure it was securely attached. "Here," he said softly as he handed the cup to her.

Lorelai reached out and took it without thinking. "Bless you," she murmured, and then hurried for the door.

****

Without giving herself too much time to think, Lorelai reported back to Taylor and passed along Luke's approval on the ice cream truck. She then went in search of a wedding present for Lindsay and Dean, only to have her triumph squashed when she learned that after talking to Luke, Rory had decided that they should go to the wedding. Lorelai bit her tongue to keep from asking her daughter what Luke had said or done or asked for in order to influence her decision. Instead, she walked over to the square where workers were busy doing last minute set up for the reception and deposited the wrapped gift on a table festooned with crepe paper wedding bells.

Lorelai didn't say a word to anyone about what had happened that morning. Not Rory, not Sookie, and certainly not Taylor. Somehow, she managed to pass her distraction off as annoyance, and disguise her nervousness as agitation, so no one was the wiser. When Rory decided to return to Yale, she kissed her daughter goodbye, called Sookie and Michel and grabbed her camera. Forty-five minutes later, she stood on the dilapidated porch of her dream inn, and posed with a sledge hammer that she could barely lift. And then they stood back, the conversation veering wildly away from their earlier discussion of scrubbing grout with toothbrushes, staring into the sun until you're blind and foreign films with no subtitles to the restoration of parlor fireplace, the preparation of sumptuous meals, and the delicious warmth of eider down duvets.

But by the time she trudged through her door just after lunchtime, Lorelai felt her brain begin to thaw from her too early in the morning ice cream truck induced brain freeze. She climbed the stairs slowly, her hand wrapping around the banister as Luke's hand and curved around hers, and the afternoon sun streaming through her bedroom windows as intensely as Luke's eyes and bore into hers. She shrugged out of her jacket and pulled the blinds down, tugging a little too hard on the resistant vinyl, and almost yanking them from their rollers. Then Lorelai flopped down onto her bed, as she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and set the alarm. She sank down into her pillow, dropped the phone to the bed, and stared up at the ceiling, hoping to be able to catch a little more sleep before she had to get up to get ready for her date with Luke.

And it was a date. Lorelai didn't even bother trying to fool herself about that. There was no dressing it up in a neat little suit and calling it a business dinner. There was no pretending that they were simply going to be two friends sharing a meal and their mutual loathing of Taylor's tactics. No, the look in his eye as he held her hand in his had been anything but professional interest. The sound of his voice when he spoke of negotiations and being receptive to offers left no room for doubt that, at least in this case, Luke wasn't offering a little friendly commiseration. And she knew him well enough to know that he would be no pushover. Not when he had that look in his eyes, not when he came right out and said it. Almost.

_I'm going to sleep with Luke._

With a resigned sigh, Lorelai closed her eyes, and saw his sooty fringed, dark blue eyes staring back at her. _I'm going to go over there tonight, sit across from him as we share that meal, and count the seconds until he makes his move. Will there be a counter-offer, or will I fold like a house of cards? I'll be a complete pushover_, she decided with a self-deprecating smile. _Will he scratch my back? I plan to scratch his. _A soft whimper escaped her lips as she envisioned raking her nails the length of his strong back, marking him as hers as he took her. Lorelai slid one hand from her stomach up to her breast, cupping it gently as she pictured Luke's soft, pink lips closing around it. _Would he gentle or rough? Will it be hard, fast and hot, or slow, soft and sensual? Oh, I'm going to sleep with Luke tonight. I wonder if he knows that. Probably. He seemed pretty confident. Was it a bluff, or was he that sure of his, uh, acumen?_ she wondered as she caressed her breast absently, her thumb brushing over her nipple as it jutted against her thin cotton shirt.

_I'm going to sleep with my friend Luke tonight, and I'm not even freaking out,_ she thought as she ran her fingertips absently along the valley between her breasts. _Why am I not freaking out? Why should I freak out, it's not like I didn't know it was gonna happen sometime,_ she answered her own thoughts. _Somehow, somewhere locked deep down inside of me, I knew. _Lorelai ran her fingers in circles of her stomach, barely grazing the fabric. _It's gonna be good, too, me and Luke. I know it's going to be good._ Lorelai's wandering fingers drifted lower still, playing along the fly of her blue pants, dipping lower still to brush teasingly over sensitive flesh already on placed on high alert by the sheer anticipation of an intense round of negotiations.

_Concessions will be made, acquisitions will be taken over_. Lorelai's breath caught and her eyes fluttered open as she stroked herself lightly, teasing her own skin through the soft material of her pants, letting that anticipation build. She pictured Luke touching her, stroking her just as she was stroking herself, and charted the highs and lows of each caress on a chart, the squiggling red line climbing steadily higher and higher. She pulled her hand away abruptly, keeping her mind focused on the bottom line and wanting to be sure to be able to kick the meeting off on a high note.

She rolled onto her side and tucked both hand safely under her pillow as she closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep as she envisioned each and every way that Luke could possibly close the deal and bring the proposed merger to a mutually satisfying conclusion.

She awoke hours later, refreshed and oddly invigorated, even without a jolt of coffee. Lorelai walked into the bathroom and turned on the taps. Once the water warmed, she plugged the drain in the tub and squeezed a generous amount of raspberry scented bubble bath into the running water. She unearthed a fresh razor form under the sink, pinned her hair up on top of her head, and then stripped out of the rumpled shirt and slacks she had slept in. She soaked for a while, letting her hands skim over the surface of the water, collecting bubbles and arranging them coyly over her best features. She raised one long leg and propped her heel on the lip of the tub, watching as the bubbles slid down her thigh and calf, fleeing her bent knee. Lorelai uncapped the shaving cream and removed the safety cover from the disposable razor before beginning her preparations for battle.

An hour later, she was groomed within an inch of her life, and also her bikini line. Lorelai hummed softly as she calmly, worked her way through her closet, selecting possibilities and discarding anything too modest, to immodest or too complicated to remove. Finally, she settled on a slim denim skirt that stopped right at her knee, and a soft lavender sweater that may or may not have shrunk a tad bit when last laundered. She stood in front of the full length mirror on her closet door and adjusted the narrow strips of elastic that held her thong in place. She nodded with satisfaction when she inspected the pale pink push up bra that she liked to call, 'Dolly Junior' for its ability to display the girls to their best advantage. She pulled the skirt from its hanger and was about to step into it when she caught another glimpse of herself in the mirror. Holding the skirt in one hand, she eyed her lingerie choices critically for a moment, and then promptly removed the thong. Then she stepped into the skirt, wiggling it up over her hips as she murmured, "Why bother?"

****

Luke stood behind the counter watching as the dinner crowd dwindled, and waiting for the bells to ring. He checked his watch for the fortieth time in fifteen minutes and sighed when he saw that it was now ten minutes past seven. Five more minutes, and he'd have to make the decision to stick the lasagna he had resting on the stove upstairs back in the oven to keep warm, or shove it into the freezer if all hope was lost. He refilled two cups of coffee, pouring carefully so that the dark liquid didn't suddenly jump from the pot and stain his carefully pressed shirt. He cleared a table and carried the dishes into the kitchen to dump into the bin to be washed. He had just opened his mouth to tell Caesar that he might night need him to close tonight after all, when the bells peeled and Lorelai called, "I'm Late! I know I'm late!"

Luke poked his head around the corner and growled, "You're late."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and said, "I'm sorry. My mother called just as I was walking out the door," she explained. I swear to God the woman knew I didn't have any underwear on, she thought as she stuffed her car keys into her purse. "I broke fifteen traffic laws to get here. Are you still gonna feed me?"

"There aren't fifteen traffic laws to break between your house and here," he said as he stepped out of the kitchen and headed for the curtain. "Dinner's ready," he told her as he held the curtain aside for her.

Lorelai followed him up the stairs, her eyes glued to his denim encased ass. "I would have broken twenty if I knew it would smell this good," she told him as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Lasagna," Luke said as he opened the apartment door and motioned for her to go in.

Lorelai stepped into the tiny apartment and inhaled deeply. The scent of garlic hung heavy in the air, making her mouth water. Luke closed and locked the door behind them, making her heart a quick stutter step. "Lasagna," she repeated, letting the word roll off of her tongue in a reverent tone.

"If I don't lock it, Caesar will be walking in every ten minutes," he explained as he moved from the door to the stove. "Lasagna's okay?" he asked as he lifted a corner of the foil he had used to trap the heat in.

"Lasagna's perfect," Lorelai answered, standing close to him as she peered around his arm.

Luke removed the rest of the foil, forcing himself to stay put, no matter how close she stood. "Hungry?" he asked as he turned toward her.

"Famished," Lorelai answered truthfully, and then raised her hands to his head, holding him steady as she pressed her lips to his.

Luke hesitated for only a fraction of a second before returning her kiss wholeheartedly. She hummed low and soft as he angled his head, hungry for more. Lorelai parted her lips, pressing her body against him as his tongue teased her bottom lip before he drew it gently into his mouth. Her hands slid from his hair down to shoulders and then came to rest on his arms, squeezing none-too-gently as she rocked back on her heels, pulling him with her as their tongues tangled. She took two steps back and then bumped into the table. A fork jabbed her in the butt as she sank down on the table, pulling him toward her with all of her strength as she tilted her head more, opened her mouth wider, and her tongue demanded that he take what she was offering. She lowered one hand to steady herself and knocked a plate aside. It clattered to the floor, circling its way to a stop and startling them both.

Luke pulled back, his chest heaving as he looked down at her wild-eyed, and then at the plate that was settling into a tighter spiral. Lorelai looked up at him, watching as his eyes darted back and forth, waiting for his brain to catch up with them. "Don't think," she implored.

"Lorelai," he began.

She shook her head adamantly and rose up, clamping his cheeks between her palms and forcing him to look her in the eye. "Don't think, Luke."

"But I didn't mean…"

"I'm not wearing any panties," she cut him off using the heavy artillery.

"Holy shit," he breathed as he blinked at her in disbelief.

"Think about that. If you have to think about something, think about that," Lorelai told him as he pulled him down to kiss him again.

Luke crushed her mouth with his, his tongue demanding entrance and commanding her surrender once it was granted full access to her. Lorelai pulled on the back of his shirt, tugging it from the waistband of his jeans, and crumpling the crisp fabric in her haste to get to his skin. She wriggled her fingers into a small chink in his cotton armor, moaning her triumph over his undershirt into his questing mouth. She rasped her nails over the small of his back, and then flattened her palm to his warm skin, soaking up the heat the shimmered from his body.

"God, I want you," he rasped as he tore his mouth from hers and began to plunder her neck.

"Oh yes," Lorelai said as she leaned back on the table, pulling him down over her. Her hands became frantic, yanking the tails of his shirts free from his jeans with a grunt, and pushing them up over his smooth back. "I'll give you anything you want," she whispered as she sat up and he pulled back to let her strip the shirts over his head. She reached for the hem of her sweater and whipped it over her head in one swift movement. Lorelai watched as his eyes trailed down over the pale freckles that dusted her chest to the creamy mounds of her breasts spilling over the lacy cups of her bra. She lifted one hand to the valley between her breasts and trailed her fingers along the tender skin teasingly, just as she had earlier that afternoon. "Tit for tat? Be my quid pro quo?" she asked in a soft, husky voice.

Luke brushed her teasing fingertips aside and lowered his lips to the tantalizing flesh she offered to him. Lorelai arched her back, lifting her breasts higher as she braced her arms on the table behind her. Luke pressed his lips to the outline of her nipple, but grunted in frustration when he encountered a layer of padding between him and the tempting bud. He brushed the strap from her shoulder before slipping his fingers into the lace trimmed cup and lifting her breast up as he pulled down on the fabric, He ran his thumb over her nipple, feeling it draw tighter at his touch before he covered it with hid mouth and sucked hard.

"Oh yes," Lorelai gasped, aroused even further by his uncontained ardor. "Take," she murmured. Lorelai slid her hand down his chest, and curled her fingers into the waistband of his jeans. "Take," she whispered urgently as she pulled him closer, parting her legs as for as the narrow skirt would allow.

"This is crazy," he murmured as he moved to her other breast and lifted it from the confines of her bra. "I made dinner," he asserted as he pinched her nipple, watching as he rolled it between his thumb and forefinger.

"I'll feed it to you naked later," she gasped.

"Promise?"

"It's a deal. You can take it to the bank," she panted as she yanked on his belt, pulling the tab from the loops and sliding it through the buckle.

"I told you he could park the truck there," he said as he lowered his mouth to her breast.

"And I came for dinner," she groaned as he tugged her into his warm mouth. "You wanted to negotiate the rest," she reminded him as he hand slid down to the hard bulge in his jeans. She stroked him through the worn denim and then whispered, "Are you willing to give a little?"

Luke raised his head and looked her in the eye as he said, "I think I have a lot to offer someone in your position."

"Show me," she challenged as she reached for the button on his jeans.

"Were you bluffing?" he asked as he reached for the hem of her skirt.

"Try me."

"Oh, I plan on it," he said as he pushed the stiff denim up over her thighs, catching it on his wrists as he spread his fingers over her smooth, firm skin. "Sorry I don't have any cigar smoke or exposed pipes," he told her as he pushed the skirt up to her hips.

"You will in a minute," she answered as she pulled his zipper down.

Luke winced and said, "That was bad."

Lorelai smiled and said, "I know, so unprofessional."

He tucked his chin to his chest and looked down at her, wetting his parted lips with the tip of his tongue as he drank in the sight over her neatly trimmed dark curls. "You back out now and I'll sue you for all you're worth," he threatened in a low voice.

Lorelai said, "I'm not worth much."

"Yes you are," he said as he raised his eyes to hers and then kissed her deeply.

Lorelai abandoned her quest to open his pants and cradled his head in her palms, holding him there as her tongue danced slowly with his. "I thought about you all day," she confessed in a rush of breath.

"Same here," Luke answered, his lips brushing against hers as he bent over, following her down onto the table. His fingers tangled gently in those tempting curls and he closed his eyes as he whispered, "Same here."

Lorelai smiled as she searched his dark blue eyes, memorizing how they looked, cloudy and heavily lidded with desire. She banked the memory away for the next time she needed a visual bedtime story and then purred, "I thought about you and I touched me."

"Oh geez," the words tore from his chest as he parted her with his fingers, finding her slick with arousal.

"I touched myself, through my clothes, pretending it was you," she confessed in low sultry voice. "I touched myself but I didn't close the deal, Luke. I need you to sign on the bottom line."

"Anything," he rasped as he stroked her clit with the pad of his finger.

"So you agree? We should merge?" she asked as she wiggled against his hand.

"Dear God, yes."

"I'm not talking a co-mingling of assets," she warned.

"No."

"No hostile takeovers, no buyouts," she panted.

"A full fledged partnership, not limited," he stated his terms.

"I agree. Close the deal," she whispered.

Luke kissed her, drawing her lips against his as he pulled away, and keeping his eyes locked on her as he pushed his jeans and underwear down over his hips. "Should we, the bed?" he asked hoarsely.

Lorelai shook her head and murmured, "Don't think, don't think. Just feel," she said as she ran her hand down her stomach and toyed with her own dark curls before pushing up onto one elbow and reaching for him. She wrapped her fingers around the heavy length of his stiff cock, purring deep in her throat as she stroked him lightly. "Just feel," she coaxed as she drew him closer. Lorelai wiggled to the very edge of the table and Luke bent his knees, allowing her to brush the very tip of him against her damp folds. "Feel that?" she asked softly.

"Yes. Yes," he hissed between clenched teeth.

"I'd be receptive to your offer, Luke, if it still stands," she said coyly.

"Deal," Luke said quickly as he pulled her hand away and enfolded it in his, grasping it tightly as he pushed into her.

Lorelai moaned loud and long, and kicked one foot out in an effort to wrap her leg around him, but instead, knocked a chair over. A laugh bubbled up from her belly, and she beamed at him as he held himself still, trying to maintain some control as he pulsed deep inside of her. His own smile broke through as he stared down at her, trying to focus on that bright smile rather than the wet heat squeezing him.

Lorelai lifted her free hand to his cheek and whispered, "It's a pleasure doing business with you."

"Pleasure's all mine," he answered, meaning every word of it as he began to move slowly, testing his own resolve. Her tiny moans and soft whimpers helped to temper his need while feeding it. He moved faster, watching each sensation play over her beautiful face.

"Oh God that's good," she said with a smug smile.

"Yeah," he panted as he slid into her once more, wondering how much of the exquisite torture he'd be able to take, and praying he'd be able to hold up his end of the bargain. And then, he heard a footfall on the stairs and froze.

Lorelai whimpered her protest and circled her hips against him. "More," she panted.

"Luke?" Caesar called out as he jiggled the door handle. "Are you okay? I heard a big crash," he called through the door.

"I'm fine," Luke barked, and Lorelai began to giggle beneath him. "Stop wiggling," he whispered urgently.

"Are you sure?" Caesar called doubtfully.

"Just knocked a damn chair over, Caesar. Now get down there before someone jimmies the register," Luke snapped. He released her hand to clamp his over her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter.

When she heard footsteps rumbling down the stairs, Lorelai sank her teeth into one of his fingers. Luke yanked his hand away, shaking it out as she released a throaty laugh. "I won't be a silent partner, Luke," she warned.

"No kidding?" he grumbled and began to pull away.

"Where are you going?" she demanded as she clutched at his back, pulling him back.

"Well, with the moron…" he mumbled as he nodded to the door.

"Stop thinking damn it," she hissed. "Feel, Luke. Look at us," she coaxed, clenching her muscles around him to remind him of exactly where they had been. "This merger is not complete."

"You want, with the," stammered as he glanced meaningfully from the door to her.

"Did you miss the part where I said I'd been thinking about you all day?"

"No."

"I'm going to feed you lasagna naked and then we'll celebrate a successful venture in your bed," she said as she slid her hands down to his hips, urging him on.

"You're the one doing dirty deals in smoke filled back rooms," he accused, pinning her to the table with his eyes.

"Yes."

"Shady player."

"You're my victim," she purred as he drove into her once again. "Do you think Caesar has a wire tap?"

"Stop," he grunted.

"Did he hear us? Did he think I was moaning over your lasagna?" she whispered.

"That's getting you hot," he whispered in an awed tone.

"Will they know? Will they all know how I pulled you in? How I got you to cave?"

"I didn't cave."

"No."

"Jesus, Lorelai," he groaned as he plunged into her, inching the table across the floor.

"Oh yes, they're gonna know. They're gonna know, Luke," she murmured as the wooden legs scraped loudly on the scarred old floor.

"Yes," he exhaled.

She cried out as she raked her nails over his back, marking him as hers as he took her higher, pushing her over the edge as he pushed the table across the floor. "Oh, yes, yes, yes," she chanted as he pumped into her, filling her hard and hot as he choked on her name.

Luke collapsed, his elbows hitting the table hard as he pressed his forehead to her cheek, peaking soft kisses to her jaw. "I can't believe this," he panted.

"You can't back out now. I have an iron clad contract," she told him, breathless.

Luke shook his head and then buried his face in her neck, inhaling the scent of her perfume mixed with something fruity. "Don't want out. I just wanted dinner," he chuckled.

"Oops," Lorelai giggled. "My mistake."

"No, I wanted this, I just thought dinner was a better bet," he said quickly as he nuzzled her ear.

"No, you have to go for it all, Luke. Business or pleasure, there's no sense in going halfway," she said softly.

"Oh, I intended to take it all the way," he said as he raised his head to look at her. "I was just gonna wine and dine you a bit first."

"This is easier on the expense account," she said with a solemn nod.

"You are amazing," he said in a low voice.

"Don't you forget it."

"I doubt that'll ever happen."

"Well, just in case, I had this entire transaction has been recorded for quality assurance, just in case you try to contest it." Luke reared back in shock, and she laughed as she smoothed her hands over his broad shoulders. "Not really. I'm not that bad."

"Well, how am I supposed to know," he grumbled. "You're the one who wanted everyone to hear."

Lorelai smiled as she said, "And you're the one who made sure that they did." When he closed his eyes and groaned aloud, she smoothed his hair back with her fingers and whispered, "Don't worry, we can issue a pre-emptive press release."

"No!"

"I can be kept quiet," she offered.

"How?"

"It would help if I had some of that lasagna," she said with a playful grin. "Either that, or you'll have to think of some other way to keep my mouth busy."

Luke kissed her hard and then pulled away with a wicked grin. "And if you think that was my first choice, then you also bought that my dinner invitation was just for dinner."

"You forgot to twirl your moustache when you said that, dirty man."

"Wait until I show you what I have in the back room," he said as he pushed himself up and away from her. He held out his hand to help her up from the table and then buried his other hand in her hair. He kissed her sweetly and then whispered, "I'll scratch your back any time."

"And kiss my ass?" she asked with exaggerated innocence.

"And anything else you want me to kiss," he confirmed with a nod. He pulled his briefs and jeans up over his hips and then handed her the now rumpled shirt he had pressed so carefully that afternoon. "You hungry?" he asked as she tossed his t-shirt aside and slid the oversized shirt over her head. "I made lasagna," he said, fighting to suppress a grin, but failing.

"Mmm, lasagna sounds perfect," she answered with a sly smile.

"Good, but I have to tell you," Luke said, pausing as he turned toward the stove, "if you want me to cook for you, it's gonna cost ya."

"There's always as catch," Lorelai mumbled as she pressed her lips to his arm and peered over his shoulder at the mouth watering lasagna once more.

"You shouldn't stand so close," he grumbled.

"Gotta keep tabs on _my_ catch," she said as she pressed her forehead to his shoulder. "I can't take the risk of letting someone else make you an offer you can't refuse."


	31. In Pursuit of Happiyness

**A/N: Yes, I was in a hurry to finish this before my trip, so this may be laden with typos, but there you go. This is for Ninjasquid, who just braved the murky waters of Season 7 and survived. She asked if I could do a little something with Mia's wedding, and I agreed. Warning: severe schmoopiness ahead. I warned you; so I don't want to hear about the excess of schmoop, I know that they would never have said this on the show. Hee! For those of you who are saps like me, enjoy!**

**In Pursuit of Happi(y)ness**

Lorelai stopped and smiled as she saw the collection of photographs in the entryway. She smiled when she saw the picture of Rory on the rug at the Independence Inn, most likely seconds from throwing up after a good spin. She heard a deep rumble of masculine laughter, and her head jerked up as if yanked by a puppeteer's string. "Guh," she grunted as the sound sliced right through her. She whirled, trying to confirm the source of the sound that still had the power to make her heart ache, and saw Luke standing near the French doors that led to the patio.

She took an involuntary step back and glanced at the door, calculating the odds on whether the cab that had dropped her off could possibly still be in the vicinity. And then, Mia spotted her, and it was all too late.

"Lorelai!" she cried as she immediately released Luke's arm and rushed across the room. "Oh! You're here!" she said as she wrapped her arms tightly around Lorelai's effectively binding her to the spot.

Lorelai looked over Mia's shoulder, and judging from Luke's stunned expression, surmised that he had no idea that she would be here either. "Hi. I'm here," Lorelai said as Mia pulled away to look at her. "Rory sends her love. She was so sad that she couldn't get away."

"Oh, we had a wonderful talk. I can't believe she's graduating from college soon, and from Yale! Seems like just yesterday she was spinning around and around on that rug," Mia said as she pointed to the photograph that Lorelai had just been studying."

"I know, amazing, isn't it?" Lorelai replied, unable to hide her proud smile. "So, Mia, wow. Looks like you have a nice turnout," she murmured as she scanned the other guests in the room, pointedly ignoring the tall man in the navy blue sweater near the patio doors. "You couldn't have at least warned me?" she asked with a smile plastered to her face.

Mia laughed and hooked her arm through Lorelai's as she said, "I could have, but where's the fun in that?"

"Mia," Lorelai said in a warning tone.

"I wanted you here, and I wanted Lucas here, and I knew that if either of you knew that the other was coming, I wouldn't be able to accomplish my goal. This is not a set up, this is just me doing what a bride needs to so to have the people who she wants nearby on a very important day," Mia said firmly.

"Damn, you're good," Lorelai grumbled.

Mia smiled and said, "That's nothing, you should have heard how thick I had to lay it on to get Lucas out of that diner of his. Howard!" she called as she spotted her bridegroom. "Howard, this is Lorelai," she said proudly as she laced her other arm through her intended's.

"Ah, the famous Lorelai. How do you do? I'm so happy to meet you at last," Howard said with a charming smile.

"Hi, Howard," Lorelai said warmly. "It's so nice to finally meet you." They chattered nonsensically about Howard seeing Mia in her dress and other wedding superstitions, and Lorelai couldn't help but steal a glance in the direction of the patio doors, and then had to bite back a sigh as she realized that Luke was nowhere to be seen. She jumped slightly when Mia suddenly slipped her arm from hers and reached for her hand.

"Now, you come with me, I need a little touch up before we get this thing underway," she said as she pulled Lorelai down the hall toward the powder room.

"Mia," Lorelai began hesitantly as the older woman closed the bathroom door behind them.

"Am I shiny? I feel shiny," Mia said as she leaned over the sink and peered into the mirror. "I take back every bad thing I ever said about Santa Barbara, except for the sunshine, that was annoying, but at least there we didn't have this damn humidity. Who ever heard of humidity in March?" she rambled as she opened a compact of powder.

"Mia," Lorelai began again, and then stepped back as Mia clicked the compact shut and suddenly whirled to face her.

"For me, Lorelai. I wanted you both here for me," she said, tilting her chin up defiantly. "I'd like to think that you can put aside whatever happened between you two for one day just to be happy for me; can't you?"

"Of course we can," Lorelai said quickly.

"Thank you," she said as she turned back to the mirror. "I'm not going to pretend to understand why you ended it, or why he is the way he is," she said quietly as she touched up her make-up. "I do know you both well enough to know that you were probably both right, and more than likely both wrong. I do find it interesting that after all these months, a marriage and a divorce, that you are petrified of being in the same room with him," she said in a neutral tone.

"I'm not petrified," Lorelai scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly.

Mia closed the tube of lipstick and placed it carefully back on the shelf in the medicine cabinet. "And after all these months, all these years, actually; he still can't keep his eyes off of you."

"Mia, please," Lorelai said softly.

"That's all I'm going to say about it," Mia swore as she raised both hands in surrender. She reached out and gave Lorelai's arm a gentle squeeze. "Now, what do you say? Should we go out there and get this thing going so that Howard can have some cake?"

Lorelai's smile was a little weak and her eyes a bit watery as she gazed down at the woman who had meant to much to her. "Yeah, let's go make Howard earn his cake," she said softly.

****

"And so, a toast to you, dear Mia. It makes us all so glad to see ya, blissfully joined with dear, good Howard. May your love last long, like its battery-powered," she finished with a sheepish smile. As the assembled guests laughed, Lorelai carefully folded the sheet of paper that she held in her trembling hands. "Rory and I wanted to do a poem for you, because when Rory was little, she used to love making up poems, and we would perform them for you, and that was such a fun time. She was so sad that she couldn't be here for you today, so it was up to me to make a fool of myself. As usual," she added with a self-deprecating smile. She looked up and found Luke gazing at her intently, a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

"Um, uh, so, what I've realized now is that you can get away with a lot of bad rhymes when you're cute and five." The guests laughed again and Lorelai raised a glass of champagne. "But both Rory and I wanted to say: The best things in life are worth waiting for, even if they take a long time..." Lorelai trailed off as she caught herself and carefully averted her gaze from Luke to Mia. "So, let's… A toast to you. We love you so much. Cheers," she finished and took a hasty gulp of the bubbling wine.

She hurried to take a seat as the other guests called out their best wishes and drank their toasts. Mia kissed her cheek and then stood up to say a few words. "Thank you." Her laugh was infectious as she turned to face her assemble friends and loved ones. "That was wonderful. Thank you for those of you who came from so far away. Thank you again for the toast, Lorelai. I also need to thank my sister for all the wonderful help…"

Lorelai tuned out the rest of the speeches as she stared into the rising bubbles in her glass, watching as they danced to the surface, and wondering it they knew that once they made it, it would all be over. She didn't dare look up. She knew that her cheeks were red; she could feel the burn just under her skin. She had looked right at him. She didn't mean to look at him. She had tried so hard not to. She knew that if she did, she couldn't hide it. And she didn't. She knew that she didn't. _Maybe he didn't see it, though. Luke has never been the fastest guy on the uptake. Maybe he didn't notice,_ she reassured herself.

Country music began to play over the outside speakers, and Lorelai rose from her seat, hoping to find a little something stronger than champagne to help get her through the rest of the afternoon. She set the flute aside and wandered over to the refreshments, sighing as she saw that she'd have to settle for chilled chardonnay. She poured a healthy glass, and turned, only to be confronted by a man wearing a sweater that would have made Bill Cosby green with envy.

"Mia mentioned that you were from Connecticut," he started without preamble.

"I am. The Nutmeg State," Lorelai answered with an overly bright smile.

"I'm Harold, Howard's brother-in-law. I married his sister, Cathy," he explained in lazy drawl. "I drove through Connecticut once, beautiful. In fact, Cathy and I considered moving to New England 'cause we love the foliage."

"Well, we got a lot of that. It practically grows on trees," Lorelai said distractedly as she scanned the crowd milling from the living room out onto the patio.

"But the cold," Harold said with an exaggerated shudder. "No, thank you! I can barely handle it here in Charlotte when it drops below 40. Cathy says it's a circulation thing. I think it's a matter of not having the fat layer that you women do."

Lorelai's eyes widened as she gaped at him for a moment. "You should be glad you don't have it. If you did, you couldn't wear such an amazing sweater," she said, recovering quickly.

She heard a snicker to her right and turned to see Luke approaching. "Mia put out some of her famous mini cream puffs. They're delicious," he said without greeting.

"Uh-oh, may have to get me one of those," Harold said excitedly. "'Scuse me."

Lorelai turned to Luke with a grateful smile. "Thank you. I wasn't sure what I was gonna do if I had to hear more about my fat layer."

Luke smirked and then raised his bottle of beer to his lips as he said, "I don't think you got one."

Lorelai smiled as she shook her head. She looked down at her wine, and then back up at him shyly. "So, you're on a guilt trip?"

Luke's smile was instant as he said, "You could say that, but really, I'm glad I came."

"Mia is so happy that you're here," she said sincerely.

"You too," he said a he jerked his chin at her.

"It was a nice ceremony," she commented.

"She seems happy," Luke agreed as he nodded to the patio, where Howard was leading Mia in a modified two-step.

"She does," Lorelai murmured, her eyes following the happy couple.

They fell silent for a moment, and when Lorelai glanced over at him, she found him staring at her. She shifted slightly, her fingers running along the stem of her wineglass as she searched desperately for something to say.

"How's your dad doin'?" Luke asked at last.

"Oh! Well, he's better. Recuperating. Watching a lot of golf. Apparently he has discovered a new-found love of jogging suits," she reported.

"Really?" Luke asked, his eyebrows shooting for his hairline.

Lorelai nodded and couldn't suppress her grin as she said, "It's making my mother crazy. Actually, I rode down here with her."

"Your mother?"

"Yeah."

"You rode in a car alone with your mother for eleven hours?" he asked, incredulous.

"Over twelve. She drives very slowly, but I made up a little time carrying her through ole Virginny," she said with an impish grin.

"Wow. And you both lived to tell about it?"

"As we speak she is at the Valentine Resort." She cocked her head to peek at his watch, just as she used to do. "Ah, two o'clock, almost time for her salt scrub."

"That's amazing," Luke said as he shook his head and took a sip of his beer.

"I've been spending a little more time with her lately, you know, helping her with some things that Dad isn't up to dealing with yet."

"Yeah."

Luke picked at the label on the bottle with his thumbnail, and somehow that tiny nervous habit made her mouth go dry. "Um, did you drive or fly?" she asked.

"Oh, I drove," Luke said as he quickly shook his head.

"Right, you don't like flying," Lorelai said with a nod.

"I just don't like the hassle of it all," he grumbled. "Actually, I've flown a couple of times in the past couple of months, but I thought the drive would be nice."

"Oh, that's right, April," Lorelai said with a nod. "Has she gotten settled in?"

"She's doin' okay. You know, new school, new friends, but it seems to be coming around."

"That's good. She's a friendly kid, it won't take her long to find her place," she said encouragingly.

"She is," he agreed, watching as she took a deep drink of her wine. "And Rory couldn't come, huh?"

"No. It's the end of the semester, she's got papers to write and job interviews to ace and suits to buy," Lorelai said with a wistful smile.

"Unbelievable, huh?" Luke murmured.

"Yeah."

Luke glanced down at his nearly empty beer and said, "I'm gonna grab another," as he gestured to the patio. "Do you want one or are you okay with the wine?"

"Um," Lorelai hummed as she looked down at the pale liquid in her glass. She smiled as she looked up at him and said, "You know, I think I'd like a beer," she said with a decisive nod.

"I'll grab one for you," Luke answered with a nod. "When I come back, maybe you can tell me where I can get one of those amazing sweaters," he said as he nodded slightly to Harold.

Lorelai's eyes lit as she smiled. "Oh, that would look so good on you," she said with a laugh.

They hung back, hovering near the doorway as they sipped their beers and watched the party heat up as the afternoon sun sank. Luke's lips seemed to be frozen into a smile as he tipped his head toward her, enjoying the running commentaries and outrageous life stories she concocted for their fellow guests, and occasionally adding a word or two of encouragement to inspire her to greater heights.

Lorelai's easy laughter carried over a lull in the music, and Mia turned to smile and wave to them from the other side of the patio, before being swept up in her grandson's arms as the next song began. Trisha Yearwood asked how she was supposed to get through one night without her man, and Lorelai clutched her beer bottle tightly, fighting the urge to offer Trisha her advice. _You cut him out, you pretend he doesn't exist, act like you don't even know him. But you do, you know him so well, and he knows you, _she thinks as she blinked back a sudden rush of tears.

She glanced over at Luke and gave him a watery smile as she nodded to Mia and her grandson. "Sweet, huh?"

"Yeah, that's nice," he agreed as he looked down at her with a puzzled frown. "Do you, uh, do you want to dance?" he asked, clearing his throat nervously.

"Oh, you don't have to…"

"We can if you want to…"

"Really, it's okay…" Lorelai looked down at his hand as he extended it palm up.

"It's just a dance," he said quietly.

"Yeah, uh, okay," she said. Her cheeks flamed with awareness as she set her beer on a nearby table and placed her hand in his. She closed her eyes as the achingly familiar warmth of his fingers closed around hers and he led her out onto the patio.

The palm of his hand was warm on her back, but his fingertips were cool from his beer bottle, seeping through the thin fabric of her dress as he held her, moving her in a tight circle on the crowded pavestones. Lorelai felt her cheeks burning in the cool March breeze as she focused intently on the collar of his sweater, knowing that if she dared to look up, his eyes would be on her, just as they were the first time she had ever danced with him.

"Please don't," she whispered, not knowing that the words had escaped her lips.

"Don't what?" he answered in a low, raspy voice.

Lorelai closed her eyes as she felt him pull her a little closer to him, those cool fingertips suddenly white hot, searing into her skin. She pressed her lips together and breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of his aftershave. "Luke," she murmured, her voice breaking.

"It's just a dance, Lorelai," he said softly, the husky timbre of his voice giving away his lie. He ducked his head and breathed deeply, fighting back the urge to bury his nose in her dark curls.

Lorelai's eyes flew open as she pressed her palm into his shoulder. When he resisted, she whispered desperately, "It was never just a dance."

"No," Luke agreed as he reluctantly released her. He looked down at her, his dark blue eyes searching hers for the answer he craved.

"Please don't do this to me. Not again," Lorelai said as she pulled her hand from his, and walked away. He watched as she dashed into the house, pausing to retrieve her purse from behind an end table and then practically running down the hall.

"What did you do?" Mia asked, appearing at his side in an instant.

"I asked her to dance," he answered slowly, his mouth tightening into a grim line.

"Oh, Lucas," Mia sighed and then gave his arm a gentle squeeze as she pushed past him to go after Lorelai. She tapped on the powder room door and called softly, "Lorelai? It's me? May I come in?"

Lorelai turned the knob and cautiously peeked through the crack to be sure that Luke was not hovering behind Mia. When the door closed behind them once more, she wiped her eyes with a wad of toilet paper and sniffed. "I'm sorry, Mia. I'm so sorry. I don't want to be the one causing the big drama on your wedding day," she said in a rush as she fought to compose herself.

"I'm sorry," Mia said as she gathered Lorelai into her arms. "I'm a meddling old fool," she whispered. "I just wanted, so badly…"

"I know," Lorelai hiccupped.

"And I thought that maybe with Christopher finally out of the picture," Mia said haltingly.

"Chris was never in the picture, not really, not where Luke was concerned," Lorelai said in a choked voice.

"But you went to him. You married him," Mia said with a puzzled frown.

"Only when Luke made it clear that he didn't want me."

"Oh, Lorelai, Luke has always wanted you. He wants you still, even after all of this." She pulled away and pushed Lorelai's tousled hair back from her tear-streaked face. "He's just an idiot." She smiled and chuckled softly as she added, "Just a man, which by definition makes him an idiot."

Lorelai laughed weakly and said, "Yeah." She cleared her throat as she reached up to mop her face with the sodden handful of tissue. "Listen, Mia, could I, would you mind if I just called a cab? I promise, I'll come back tomorrow and there will be no tears," she said as she tried to smile.

"I'll call one for you," Mia said quietly. "I'm sorry, Lorelai. I just thought that if I could get you two together…"

"I know."

Mia nodded and said, "I'll go call, and then tomorrow we'll have some time, just the two of us."

"Thank you," Lorelai whispered gratefully. When Mia opened the bathroom door, Lorelai smiled wanly and said, "The cream puffs were awesome."

Mia smiled as she said, "I made them just for you," as she pulled the door closed behind her. She looked up and pressed her hand to her heart as she saw Luke looming at the end of the hall. "You scared me."

"Is she okay?"

Mia gave him a tired smile and asked, "Are you?"

"I didn't mean to upset her. We were just talking and laughing and I thought she'd like to dance," he said with a small shrug. "She likes to dance."

Mia pressed her lips together and nodded as he boiled it all down so simply for her. "I imagine that it was just a little harder for her than she expected."

Luke swallowed hard and then turned away, the muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenched it tightly. "Funny, it was easier for me," he said gruffly.

"She thinks you didn't want her. She thinks that you gave up on her long before she gave up on you," Mia said quietly.

"She was wrong," Luke said stiffly.

Mia nodded as she moved past him to reach for the cordless phone. "I'm sure she was. Just as I'm sure that you were wrong too. Too bad we can't make a right out of that."

"Yeah," Luke answered tersely, and then turned away, stalking back to the patio and the tub that held bottles of ice cold beer.

****

By the time the cab pulled to a stop in front of the Best Western, Lorelai felt completely wrung out. She trudged to her room, her purse slapping against her stomach as it dangled from her wrist, trapped by her crossed arms. She slid the key into the lock and then carefully bolted the door behind her. She let the purse slide unnoticed from her arm, and heard it hit the floor with a muffled thud as she fell face-forward onto the bed. "God, what an idiot," she whispered into the rough bedspread. She flipped over onto her back and started up at the popcorn textured ceiling. "You couldn't just hold it together for one song?" she asked aloud.

But it wasn't the song, or even the arms that held her that had been the problem. It was the eyes. She could feel them on her. She could feel them on her still. Those eyes; those incredible indigo eyes. _How many times did I stare into those eyes? How many times did I feel them on me?_ she wondered. _I know everything about those eyes. They get bloodshot when he doesn't get enough sleep. Tiny little webs of pink coloring the bright white around those blue, blue eyes. His eyelids get so droopy when he's sleepy. Just like a little kid, trying to stay up past his bedtime, insisting that he's not tired. And they laugh. Those eyes have a laugh that's even more delightful than the sound that rumbled up from deep inside of him. Those eyes laughed with a hundred tiny lines that fanned from their corners. Those eyes worried with an intensity that made my heart hurt. Those eyes held me tighter than any man ever has. Those eyes used to tell me that he loved me._

A fresh rush of tears fill her own eyes, but Lorelai swiped at them furiously, rubbing them ruthlessly with the heels of her hands, pressing hard to block out the memory of those eyes as they stared back at her, lost in confusion and doubt. She refused to give into those tears again as she pushed back the memory of those eyes choosing 'never' over 'now'. And no matter what Mia said, or anyone else for that matter, he had not chosen 'now'. That was one thing she knew without a doubt. Those deep blue eyes had looked into her soul, giving her only fear and indecision as an answer to her plea for his love.

Lorelai pushed herself up off of the bed, reeling slightly from the onslaught of emotion fueled by wine and beer, and stumbled to the bathroom to wash her face. She changed into a pair of comfy jeans and a zippered sweatshirt, leaving the dress she had worn to the wedding in a heap on the floor. She piled all of the pillows up against the headboard and pulled her phone from her purse as she leaned back against them.

As soon as Rory answered, she forced a cheerful tone. "Hey, Sweets!"

"Hey, how was the wedding?" Rory asked.

"Aw, small, sweet, intimate. It was really nice. I wish you could have been here. Mia is so happy, Rory," she said with a genuinely pleased smile.

"And Howard?"

"Is adorable," Lorelai reported with a nod. "A younger man, you know," she said with a knowing laugh.

"That Mia, she always was a sly one," Rory said appreciatively.

Lorelai turned on the TV, but muted the sound as she flipped through the channels. "I'm going to see her tomorrow, hang out, just the two of us."

"That'll be nice."

"Yeah, I'm going to see if I can sucker that blue coat out of her now. If she didn't need it tin Santa Barbara, she certainly isn't going to need it in Charlotte," Lorelai justified.

"So true."

"Oh, and, um, Luke was here," Lorelai said offhandedly.

"Luke?"

"Lucas," Lorelai confirmed with a nod.

Rory chuckled and said, "Only Mia could call Luke 'Lucas' and lure him to North Carolina."

"I know. I almost died when I walked in and saw him there," Lorelai answered truthfully.

"So, uh, that was okay?" Rory asked cautiously.

"It was a little weird at first," Lorelai said slowly. "But we talked and joked around a little. It got easier."

"Good, I'm glad," Rory said with a relieved sigh.

"Yeah," Lorelai said as she glanced around the sparse motel room, glad that her daughter was not here to witness her breakdown or her evasion. "So, how are things going?"

"Oh, I'm knee deep in research," Rory answered.

"Ugh." Lorelai grunted as she flipped to the menu channel to see what movies were available. "Is it going okay?"

"I'm kind of on a roll."

"Okay, well, I'll let you go," Lorelai said reluctantly.

"I'll call you in the morning," Rory promised.

"Okay. Don't work too hard, it's bad for your complexion."

"Night, Mom," Rory said softly.

"Goodnight," Lorelai answered and then closed the phone.

She stared at the television screen, blinking until she could focus on the words. "Hmm, maybe Will Smith and I can find some happiness together," she murmured as she slid from the bed. She shoved her feet into the slides she had worn for the ride down the day before, and grabbed her purse from the floor. Armed with her room key, four crisp dollar bills and the contents of her change compartment, Lorelai slipped from her room and headed down the outside corridor.

"Little Debbie, Little Debbie, Little Debbie snack cakes," she sang under her breath as she jingled the change in her hand, paying no attention to the green pick-up truck that pulled into a spot just below her as she turned into the room that held the vending machines.

She pursed her lips as she surveyed the selections and then began pumping change and dollar bills into the machine and pressing various combinations of buttons until she had amassed a veritable smorgasbord of junk food. Lorelai gathered the packages into her arms, clutching a stray package of Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls in her hand as she hurried from the room with her loot and ran smack into Luke.

"Oh!"

"Geez," he groaned as he reached out to steady her and then fumbled to catch a slippery cellophane wrapped treat as it slid from her clutches. He shook his head as he bent to pick up the package of Funyuns and said, "Bedtime snack?"

"Uh, movie," Lorelai answered as she tried to keep her hold on the rest of her supply.

Luke gingerly placed the bag atop the pile in her arm. "I should have known."

Lorelai pinched the slippery bag between two fingers and looked up. She met his eyes as she said, "Yeah, you should have."

"Hey, listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I thought you'd want to dance," he said in a low voice.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak out on you."

"It's okay. I know it's hard. It must be hard, with the, uh, divorce and all," he said with a wince.

"There is no divorce," Lorelai murmured.

"Oh," Luke said, his eyes widening as he took a step back. "I must have heard wrong. I'm sorry, I mean, wow, um, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, or him," he stammered.

"There's no divorce because we weren't legally married," Lorelai said, cutting him off.

"Oh," he breathed.

"Yeah, um, apparently the only thing easier than the thumbprint at Mailboxes Etcetera divorce is to try to file for divorce only to find out that you can't elope on a whim in France," she babbled.

"I see," Luke breathed.

"Apparently they don't want you to repent at leisure there, so there's no marrying in haste."

"Too bad they don't have the same rules in international waters," he said gruffly.

"Yeah, too bad, it makes it really easy to fix your mistakes." Lorelai hiked the pile in her arm up a little higher and shrugged as she said, "Well, goodnight," and tried to step around him.

"Oh, yeah, goodnight," Luke said as he moved aside and watched as she walked to her room.

Lorelai hesitated just outside her door, wondering how she was going to fish the key card from her pocket. Finally, she dropped the Little Debbie's and the Funyuns and plunged her hand into her pocket with a grunt of frustration.

"Here," Luke said as he hurried to pick up the snack she had dropped.

"Listen, Luke," Lorelai began as she pushed the door open with her foot.

"I wondered who was blaring the TV all night last night. I'm right there," he said as he nodded to the room next to hers.

"Man, she's good," Lorelai grumbled as she stepped into the room and dumped the pile of snack foods onto the bed. She turned back to find him hovering in the doorway holding the bags that got away. "Look, I know this is awkward," she started.

"I'm glad you never married him," Luke confessed in a rush.

Lorelai lifted her chin and said, "I tried to."

"But it didn't work."

"No, it didn't work," she answered softly.

Luke stepped into the room, his eyes fixed on her as he asked, "Why? Why didn't it work?"

Lorelai bit back the flip retort that dancing on the tip of her tongue. She licked her lips as she lifted her chin and stared back at him defiantly. "Because I can't cut you out of my life," she said stiffly. "I tried, I wanted to, but I can't."

Once again, the Little Debbie's and the Funyuns hit the floor, and Luke stepped over them in his haste to close the distance between them. "Thank God," he murmured as he pulled her into his arms.

"I wanted to so badly, Luke. I wanted to hate you. I wished that I never knew you."

"You and me both," he answered as he brushed her hair back and then trailed his fingertips over her smooth cheek. "You and me both," he whispered as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her sweetly.

"I can't do this," Lorelai whispered as he pulled back.

"I love you," he answered.

"I can't let you break my heart again. My heart is broken, Luke," she said sadly.

"I don't want to break your heart, Lorelai. I love you," he repeated. "I always have, the whole time."

"Didn't seem like it."

"I'm an idiot, okay? I'm an idiot and I did everything wrong, but I love you," he said, his voice breaking as he said the words again. "I can't help it, Lorelai, I love you."

"I hurt you," she said with a puzzled frown.

"And I thought it would kill me, but it didn't. And it didn't make me love you any less." He tightened his arm around her, holding her tightly to him as he ran his hand over her hair. "I should have told you every day. I never should have let you doubt that, I get that now. I was scared and I was stupid, but I always loved you. Always."

"Stop saying that," she whispered.

"No."

Lorelai shook her head stubbornly and then gripped the back o his head, pulling his lips to hers and kissing him hard. "Stop it," she ordered.

"I love you," he answered, and then kissed her again, pouring his heart and soul into the kiss. He pushed his hand into her hair, tangling his fingers in the thick mass of it as he tipped her head back. "Tell me, Lorelai. Tell me that you love me."

"I don't want to," she told him softly.

"I want you to. I love you, Lorelai Gilmore. I just, I need you to know that."

"I love you too," she whispered as if tasting the words for the very first time.

Luke kissed her ardently, drawing her sweet lips against his as he tried to keep his pounding heart from bursting from his chest. He pulled away slowly, framing her face in his large hands. "We're going to be together, okay, because this being apart thing isn't working," he said firmly. "We're going to be together, we're gonna work this all out and then we're gonna get married. For real. A real minister in a real church with everyone we know watching just to be sure that we don't screw it all up again, okay?"

"Okay," she whispered.

"And I want it all, Lorelai, the whole thing, the whole package. I want it all with you," he said urgently.

"I want it with you. Only you."

"Just so, we're clear, I love you, you love me, and this all ends here," he said in a softly mesmerizing voice. "We're perfectly clear, right?"

"Shut up," she ordered softly.

Luke chuckled and asked, "You've been waiting years to tell me that, haven't you?"

"Shut up and kiss me," she said as she clutched a fistful of his sweater, bunching it at his shoulder.

Luke smiled and she didn't have to ask twice. He cradled the back of her head in his hand and held her steady under the exuberant pressure of his lips against hers. He pulled her closer, angling his head as he parted her lips with his tongue, molding her body to his as he kissed her deeply, consuming her like a starving man turned loose at a buffet. "I love you, I love you," he murmured against her skin as he kissed his way across her jaw.

Lorelai laughed breathlessly and whispered, "I get it."

"No, I won't stop," he growled as he nuzzled her ear lobe. "I'll never stop telling you that."

"Don't stop," Lorelai said as she let her head fall back, granting him better access to her neck and throat.

Luke caught the tender skin of her lobe between his teeth and then sucked gently. He pressed his lips to her throat, feeling her pulse race beneath his touch as he walked her back two steps to the bed and propelled her back onto it. There was a crunch of cellophane and a loud pop as the air trapped in one bag escaped under the pressure of their combined weight. Lorelai laughed as she gasped, "Oh no!"

Luke's smile was brilliant as he looked down at her and said, "That's one way to get you to stop eating that crap."

Lorelai shook her head as she looked up at him and said, "Gonna eat it anyway."

"I love you," he said as he kissed her softly.

"I love you. Now move so I can survey the damage," she ordered as she pushed in effectively on his shoulder.

"So, you love me almost as much as a Ring Ding," he grumbled as he pushed himself up, watching as Lorelai gingerly sat up on the edge of the bed and inspected her damaged goods.

"They didn't have Ring Dings," Lorelai murmured as she picked up a smashed package of snack cake and held it up. "We killed the Banana Twins," she said mournfully.

Luke made a face as he shuddered and said, "Mercy killing."

"Aw, and the Fritos are what popped," she reported as she placed a handful of crushed packages in his outstretched hands. Luke placed them in the wobbly table near the dubiously upholstered chair and then returned to collect the remainder from the bed. "Poor Fritos," Lorelai murmured as gently removed the now open bag from her fingertips.

"I should, uh," he said as he nodded to the still open door. "Let you watch your movie."

Lorelai stared up at him and said simply, "I thought we were going to be together."

"I didn't really mean," he answered as he nodded to the bed.

"You could watch the movie with me," she suggested. "I have plenty of snacks," she pointed out as she nodded to his hands. "I'll let you have the Fritos and the Banana Twins."

Luke smirked as he looked down at the flattened bag and said, "Yeah, thanks."

"So, you'll stay?" she asked.

"If you want me to, I will, but I'm not eating this crap," he said as he placed the handfuls of food back on the bed and went to close the door. When he turned around, Lorelai had a package holding a Honeybun clenched between her teeth and was scooting back on the bed to lean into the pile of pillows propped against the headboard. He re-deposited the rest of the vending machine haul between them as he sat down next to her and swung his feet up, toeing off his shoes and kicking them to the floor before leaning back. "What are we watching?" he asked as he settled in next to her.

"The Pursuit of Happyness," she answered as she handed him a Kit Kat bar.

"No thanks," he said as he handed it back to her and plucked a small bag of Combos from the pile. As she messed with the remote control, he flipped the bag over and quickly scanned the nutritional information. "Even the pretzel things are crap," he muttered.

"You've lost weight," Lorelai commented as she watched the opening credits begin.

"Maybe a little," Luke answered with a shrug.

"I think more than that," she said without looking at him.

"Well, I didn't have anyone constantly trying to force-feed me junk food. Except April, she did a pretty fair job of it," he admitted.

Lorelai glanced over at him and said, "I'll have to fatten you up."

"For the kill?"

"I like you a little, uh, beefier," she admitted as she tore off a chunk of Honeybun and shoved it into her mouth.

"Beefier?" Luke asked with an amused smile.

Lorelai sent him a sidelong glance and said, "Well, I am a carnivore."

"I remember that." Luke turned his attention to the screen and said, "I'm all for pursuing happiness." Lorelai turned to look at him, and he glanced at her nervously. "What?"

"I was just trying to be happy. I wanted to be happy so badly," she told him.

Luke nodded slowly and then turned back to the television. "We will be."

They watched quietly, the silence punctuated by the rustle of wrappers as Lorelai moved from one snack to the next, and Luke fished cheese filled pretzel nuggets from the bag one by one by pinching them between two long fingers. She tossed the empty Kit Kat wrapped onto the growing pile on the nightstand and then turned to look at him. "Tell me again."

Luke turned to her, his eyebrows lifting as he asked, "I love you?"

"Do you?" she countered.

"I do," he stated unequivocally.

Lorelai nodded as she swiped at the diminished pile of packages between them and then turned, swinging her leg over his as she sat up to straddle him. Luke barked a startled laugh as he peered around her and said, "Kind of hard to see."

Lorelai plucked the bag of pretzels from his hand and tossed them carelessly aside. "You hate those things anyway. They hurt your teeth."

"True," he agreed as he placed his hands on her hips and looked up at her. "We're not gonna watch the movie?"

"Nope," Lorelai answered and then leaned forward planting a possessive kiss to his lips.

"Okay."

"Tell me," she whispered, and then captured his lips again before he could utter a syllable.

Luke understood her perfectly, burying his hands in her hair as he sat up, pushing her back as they kissed, their tongues tangling greedily. His hands slid slowly down her neck to her shoulders, over the soft edges of them to her arms and then closed over her ribcage. He took the kiss deeper still as he traced the curve of her waist, reacquainting himself with the shape of her, groaning into her mouth as he brushed the side of her breast with one emboldened thumb.

"So smooth," she teased as she pulled away from him breathless.

"You always fell for it before," he answered solemnly.

"I fell for you," she answered.

"I love you."

"I love you," Lorelai replied as she reached for the zipper on her sweatshirt and slowly drew it down, revealing only the lacy black bra she had worn beneath her dress.

Luke kissed her again, drawing her tongue into his mouth as he skimmed the sweatshirt from her shoulders, stroking her bare skin reverently. He braced one hand behind her back as he began to kiss his way down her throat, covering her lace clad breast possessively with his other hand. Lorelai rewarded him with a throaty groan as she leaned back into his hand, trusting him to support her weight. His lips dusted the freckles that dotted her chest with tiny kisses as his fingers closed over her, squeezing her breast with barely contained lust. He slid his hand up her back and freed the clasp, impatiently brushing the loosened strap down her arm, anxious to get to her.

He leaned back, his eyes fixed on the raised pink tips of her small breasts as she tossed the bra aside. "Beautiful," he murmured breathlessly.

"I love you," she answered.

"I don't know why, but I'm sure glad that you do," he mumbled as he ducked his head, pushing her gently back until he could take one distended nipple in his mouth and suckle her greedily.

"I could be using you for sex," she whispered as she clutched at his shoulders, grinding against his crotch shamelessly.

Luke released her breast with a grunt and then turned to lavish the same attention on the other side. "That's fine. I'll love you; and you can use me all you want."

"Okay," she said in a rush of breath as he pulled her into his mouth and sucked hard. "God, Luke," she panted as she gyrated against him. He reached for the button on her jeans and flicked it open with his thumb and forefinger, and Lorelai's gasps turned to a laugh. "You always were good at getting me naked."

"Highly motivated," he murmured as he nuzzled the sweet valley between her breasts.

"Me too," she said as she grabbed two handfuls of his sweater and pulled it up over his back. Luke leaned back and allowed her to remove it before wrapping his arms around her and rolling her over onto her back.

The cellophane wrappers screamed in protest as they were crushed again, but this time their cries went unheeded. Luke yanked her zipper down as he lowered his mouth to her breast once more, sliding his hand into the opening of her jeans as he rasped his teeth over her pebbled nipple. Lorelai's hips bucked as he ran the very tips of his fingers under the tops of her panties. He pressed hot, wet, open-mouthed kisses to her flat stomach, inching his way lower as he slid his hand into the side of her panties and began to work them down over her hips.

"Take them off," Lorelai gasped as she raked her fingers through his hair.

"I will," he promised.

"If you love me, you'll take them off," she panted.

Luke pushed up to straddle one of her legs as he grasped the other side of her jeans and panties and pulled them down over her hips, kissing her stomach the whole time, and murmuring against her skin. "I missed you so much. The way you taste, the way you smell, the way you feel."

"I know, I know. Me too," she whispered as she ran her hands over his broad shoulders.

"I'll never let you walk away again," he said as he dragged the denim down over her long legs.

"I'll never walk away. I will stand on your toes and scream at you until you hear me," she vowed.

Luke smiled as he pulled the clothes from her and said, "Please do."

He bent down and pressed his lips to the soft skin just above her knee and kissed his way up one pale thigh, his long fingers stroking the other as he pushed it away, parting her legs as his lips, teeth and tongue laid claim to her once again. He pressed his mouth to the tangle of dark curls at the apex of her legs and let his warm breath wash over her, his mouth watering with anticipation as he breathed in deeply.

"Luke." His name tumbled from her lips, tinged with longing and desire.

"I love you, Lorelai," he said softly, his breath stirring the dense curls as he moved lower once more and parted her with his tongue. "Oh, I love you," he murmured and then pressed his mouth to her. His tongue circled her clit slowly, drawing it into his mouth and sucking her gently. When she moaned, it grew more demanding, stroking the sensitive bundle demandingly as her breath quickened and her nails dug into his bare shoulder. She circled her hips grinding against him as she panted her own professions of love in a breathless voice.

Lorelai felt her climax building and squirmed beneath him as he pressed his tongue into her stroking her harder. "Luke," she whispered desperately. "Please. I don't want to, not without you," she said in a rush. Luke tempered his ministrations, slowing and gentling, but unwilling to cease entirely until he had taken his fill of her. Lorelai whimpered softly, knowing that he could keep her there, just on the verge, aching for release. "I want to touch you." she said softly.

With a small groan of displeasure mixed with anticipation, he pulled away, kissing the tender skin inside of her thighs as he nuzzled her gently. He pushed up off of the mattress and reached for his belt buckle, his gaze roaming lazily over her flushed skin as he opened it. She watched, her lips swollen and red from his kisses, parted and wet from the tip of her tongue as her desire clouded eyes followed his every move. He slid from the bed and pushed his jeans and boxers down over his hips. Lorelai sat up, leaning on her elbows as she took inventory, noting every detail, including his lean muscled torso and the way his broad chest narrowed to his hips.

"You have lost weight," she said quietly.

"No better diet than having your heart broken," he answered without recrimination.

"I gained what you lost. Ben and Jerry may have helped," she told him with a small shrug.

"You're perfect," he said as he crawled back onto the bed, holding himself up over her.

Lorelai ran her hands over his chest, stroking the soft hair, watching the muscles in his stomach tense and ripple as her hands slid lower. His arms trembled as she ran her fingers along the length of his erection as if memorizing every inch of the velvety smooth skin stretched taut. He sucked in a sharp breath as she ran her thumb over the tip of him, smoothing the moisture that collected there over his heated flesh. "I missed you," she said in the barest whisper as she looked up into his eyes.

"Yeah," he answered in a hoarse voice.

"Come here," she said as she released him and held her arms up to embrace him. Luke lowered himself onto her and buried his face in her hair, sinking into the soft comfort of her body as she stroked his back. "I love you, Luke," she whispered into his ear. "Love me."

He pushed up onto his elbows once more and lowered his lips to hers, kissing her lingeringly as their bodies aligned with one another's with practiced ease. He pulled back, smiling and closing his eyes as he sank into her. "Oh, yes," he groaned in heartfelt appreciation.

"We fit so perfectly," she whispered in an awed tone.

"Perfect," he agreed as he kissed her again and again, letting her adjust to him as he tried to get a handle on his own desire. When she smiled up at him, the brilliance of it lighting her bright eyes, he couldn't help but return it, slowly rocking against her as they reveled in the intimacy. Lorelai's smile turned into a husky chuckle as she wriggled beneath him, as if reminding him of what they were supposed to be doing. "I've got ya," he said gruffly as he began to move slowly, letting his pace build as he watched her face carefully.

Lorelai couldn't take her eyes off of him. Her breath hitched and caught in her throat, but her gaze never wavered. Their breathing became shallow and labored, but she hardly blinked; unwilling to miss a bit of this, of him, the one she had been missing for so long. "I love you," she whispered in a breathy voice.

"Lorelai, you have no idea," he rasped.

"Tell me, tell me," she panted as he drove into her faster.

"I love you," he said in a firm, clear voice.

Lorelai moaned as she caressed his cheek and stared up at him; willing him to see everything that was in her heart. "You'll have to tell me every day," she warned.

"I will, I will," he promised as he grappled for her hand, and turning his lips into her palm. Luke could feel the rush of heat coursing through her, her walls tightened around him, holding him firm, and he knew she was close. "I love you, Lorelai. Only you," he told her as he moved faster, pushing her to the edge.

"Luke," she gasped in warning.

"Only you, no matter what," he said raggedly.

Lorelai's lost the battle, her eyes drifting shut as the sensation whirled out of control inside of her. "Luke!" she cried as she peaked.

"Yes," he hissed between clenched teeth as he gave himself over to her, pushing into her recklessly. "I'm the one who loves you," he said in a rush as he pumped into her.

"Yes, yes," she answered as she clung to his strong back. Lorelai opened her eyes and met his gaze steadily. "I'm the one who loves you," she said softly. A groan ripped from the depths of him, reverberating through their joined bodies as he surged into her, emptying himself into her heat. Soundless words fell from his lips as he slowed, holding himself high above her so that he could see every bit of her. He licked his parched lips and whispered, "Tell me."

"I love you, Luke," she answered without hesitation.

He shook his head slowly and said in a low, gravelly voice. "I want to make you happy. I just like to see you happy."

"I'm happy now," she said as she ran her hand over his cheek, tracing her thumb over the corner of his eye as he smiled, unleashing that magical fan of tiny lines that never failed to enchant her.

"I hope so," he said in a rush. "Because I'm so happy right now, I would almost agree to watch a musical," he said with a wry smile. When she opened her mouth, he shook his head and said, "I said almost."

When she giggled, he kissed her gently and then pulled away, rolling onto his back amidst the sea of cellophane that had echoed their every move. "I think I have a Whatchmacallit in my back," he grumbled as she curled into his side.

"Ooh! Mine!" Lorelai said as she held up her grasping hand.

Luke grunted and reached under his back, pulling out a Snickers bar. "Sorry, Snickers," he said with a smirk.

"That'll do," she said as she plucked it from his hand.

Luke sighed as she draped one leg over his and settled in against his shoulder, clutching her candy bar in her fist. He focused on the screen for a moment as Will Smith's face filled the frame. Luke smirked as he jerked his chin in greeting and said, "How's that happiness coming for you Will?"

Lorelai giggled and said, "He'd probably find it faster if they had spelled it right."

"Yes, because we all know that spelling counts," Luke said gravely.

"Yes. Yes it does," Lorelai said as she unwrapped her Snickers and took a healthy bite. She chewed for a moment, and then peeled the wrapper back a little further before holding it up to his lips, smiling serenely as he took a small bite.


	32. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk Naughty Kids

**A/N: For my Boom, because she has ennui. Here's a little dose of off-oui to cheer you.**

**Tsk, Tsk, Tsk - Naughty kids…**

Lorelai looked down at the loaded cheeseburger clutched in her hands. "You know, your burgers actually taste better outside."

"Good. Next time the roof in the diner's leaking, I'll just rip the stupid thing off."

She grinned, enjoying her daily dose of Luke-grumpiness so much that she couldn't resist baiting him a bit. "So this is nice, huh? Come on, admit it."

"Never."

"What? Admit it, you would much rather be sitting out here than inside working."

"The diner's probably on fire by now," he grumbled, trying to hide his smile.

"You are stubborn."

"I'm stubborn?"

"Yeah, you're stubborn."

"You're Miss Flexibility over here?" he asked. Luke cringed inwardly, chastising himself for giving her such an obvious opening for her to gasp 'Dirty!' and give him that smile that always made him want to prove to her just how dirty he could be.

But Lorelai just frowned and gaped at him. "Hey, I can be flexible."

_I bet you can. _The thought popped into his head, but he squashed it quickly, grunting only, "Please."

"I can," she asserted. "As long as everything is exactly the way I want it, I'm totally flexible."

Luke bit back another smile. "Ah, well, my mistake."

Lorelai looked down at her carry-out container and plucked a crispy, golden french fry from the small mountain he had procured for her. "Do you want a fry?"

"You want a carrot?" he retaliated, knowing that the odds of Lorelai accepting the vegetable were about as good as the chances of him devouring a grease soaked sliver of deep fried potato.

"Impossible," she snorted.

"Right back at ya." He took a bite of his carrot and looked over at her out of the corner of his eye. "So, let me ask you something."

"Napkin, please," she prompted, holding out one hand.

Luke passed her a paper napkin as he asked, "Who did you want to get your basket?"

"What?"

"I mean, before you knew Patty was gonna put you on the Dating Game, you did pack this disgusting lunch and bring it out here, so who did you want to get it?" he pressed, unsure if he wanted to know the answer, but figuring that knowing was better than not knowing.

Lorelai chewed thoughtfully and then forced the food down her throat. "Well, last year Roy Wilkins bought it and I got my sprinklers fixed for half price."

"Uh huh."

"And this year my rain gutters are completely clogged, and I thought if I could get the Collins kid to bite, I'd get that taken care of," she admitted with a grin and a purely female shrug.

"Very practical."

"I thought so."

"So, the participation in this thing was purely for home improvement reasons?" he asked cautiously, trying to ignore the flood of relief coursing through his body.

"Yes," she affirmed. Lorelai paused as she looked down at her burger. "And I don't know, it's a nice concept," she admitted a bit sheepishly.

"What is?"

"Just having someone who you love or have some kind of crazy crush on bid on your basket and then share a romantic lunch, it's a nice concept," she said with a helpless shrug.

Luke looked at her steadily for a moment, trying to will her to meet his eyes. When she didn't, he nodded slowly and said, "Well, I'm sure someday you'll manage to find the right guy and drag him out to this thing and make him by your stupid basket and then you'll be sitting out here with him."

Lorelai's smile was soft and a little shy as she glanced over at him. "Yeah, someday."

Luke watched as she pulled the remainder of a sliced tomato from her cheeseburger and stifled a sigh as she discarded his stealthily inserted attempt at redeeming the nutritional value of her lunch. Her lips curved into a slight smile, letting him know that she knew that he was watching her. He cleared his throat slightly but his voice still came out a little huskier than he would have liked when he asked, "You know what?"

"What?" Lorelai answered, at last meeting his gaze.

"This is nice," he admitted, his lips curving into a satisfied smile.

"I have to talk to you," Dean called from behind them.

Lorelai jumped and tore her eyes from Luke's smile, her cheeks coloring slightly as if she had been caught doing something wrong. She looked over to where Dean stood with feet planted wide and a grim expression on his face. "Oh, yeah, okay." She cast a worried look at Luke and then said, "I'll be right back."

"I'll be right here," he answered, watching as she hurried down the gazebo steps and over to where Rory's boyfriend stood waiting.

Lorelai spoke to Dean in a hushed voice; nervous that Luke would overhear them talking about Jess, worried that he would take the opportunity to bolt, and a little too distracted to think too hard about why she really didn't want him to.

After reassuring Dean, Lorelai trotted back up the step and smiled brightly as she reclaimed her lunch and her spot next to Luke on the bench.

"Where were we?" she asked, her voice a little breathless.

"You need your gutters scraped," he answered, all too aware that once again, the moment was gone.

"Wow, that sounded…"

"It wasn't," he insisted, cutting her off.

"But it sounded…" Lorelai tried again, her smile widening exponentially.

"No, it didn't," Luke said sternly. "The only thing that's dirty are your gutters. And your mind," he grumbled under his breath.

"Aw, sometimes you say the sweetest things," she cooed, reaching over to pat his bicep.

Luke glanced down at her hand and then back up at the teasing light that lit her eyes. Suddenly, the weight of her hand on his arm and this 'romantic' picnic lunch that they were sharing ganged up on him, and became a little too much for him to bear. "I should get back," he said as he closed the closed the lid on the salad he had been picking at.

Lorelai's eyes widened as her hand fell away. "No! We're not done with our lunch."

"I have a business to run," he reminded her gruffly.

Lorelai shook her head in disbelief, steadfastly refusing to accept that he was putting an end to their time together. "But this is nice. You said it was nice," she reminded him desperately.

"It is nice," he managed to say before averting his eyes. Luke stared at the diner across the street, longing for the safety of his counter, but helpless to resist the prospect of spending a little more time with her. "Five more minutes," he growled. "Eat up."

Lorelai smiled beatifically as she picked up her burger and prepared to take a hefty bite. "So, uh, Saturday night. Got big plans?" she asked leadingly.

"Oh well, you know, the usual," Luke answered as he opened his container again and plucked another carrot from the pile.

"Drinking, carousing, womanizing," Lorelai murmured through stuffed cheeks as she nodded sagely.

"Maybe knock over a liquor store," Luke added straight-faced. "You?"

Lorelai forced the food down her throat and then took a sip of her coffee. "Well, I was planning on going honky-tonkin', but I have to work. I fear my mechanical bull riding skills are going to suffer, I'm so out of practice," she added with a sad shake of her head.

"You're working tonight?"

"Yeah. Tobin is on vacation this week, and Michel has already covered most of the other nights. Apparently, there's a Donna Summer dance party going on at some club tonight, and he was whining so much that I said I'd cover it," she said as she dragged a french fry through the small pool of ketchup in her box.

"Seriously?"

"You act like I never work," Lorelai said defensively. "Besides, I like working the overnights sometimes. I get a lot done. Tonight, I'm doing inventory while Linda covers the desk."

"I meant 'seriously' about the dancing thing," Luke said quickly.

"Oh, well, Michel is always serious about dancing," she told him soberly.

"And you can do that? Stay up all day and all night?"

Lorelai smiled and shook her head. "I'm going home to have a nap. I don't go in until ten, so it should be okay if I can get at least a few hours of sleep."

"You can sleep in the middle of the day?"

"I can sleep anytime, anywhere."

"Amazing," he breathed as he closed his container once again, and sat clutching it in his lap.

"I know. It's a talent."

"I mean it's amazing that you sleep at all. Ever. You know, considering the amount of caffeine in your system."

"And after you knock over the liquor store?" she prompted.

Luke smirked and said, "I probably won't do that tonight. I'm going to try to go fishing in the morning, so I'll probably be getting my gear together."

"Fishing? You're taking the morning off?"

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "I am allowed to do that sometimes, it is my business."

Lorelai nodded as she stared down at the remnants of her lunch. "I hate it when you take the morning off," she confessed softly.

"What?"

Lorelai looked up and said, "Well, it throws my day off. Caesar's pancakes aren't as good as yours, which means I have to go with eggs or something, and I'm not always in the mood for eggs. Sometimes, I want pancakes."

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "So I should never take a day off just in case you decide that you want pancakes on that particular day?"

"I didn't say that," she muttered as she closed the container and set it on the bench next to her. "Rory has this theory that it's all in my head anyway."

"Why am I not shocked by that?"

"Yes, well, Rory has lots of theories."

"I meant the part about it being in your head," he said with a smirk.

"Ha. Ha." Lorelai leaned forward to peer around him, staring pointedly at the Luke's bag by his side. "Someone mentioned brownies," she reminded him.

Luke sighed as he reached into the bag and produced a large brownie wrapped in wax paper. "Caesar's pancakes are fine," he said as he handed it to her.

Lorelai smiled as she unwrapped her dessert and broke a corner off using her thumb and forefinger. She carried the morsel to her lips as she shot him an overtly flirty look and said, "I guess it must just be you, then."

Luke blinked rapidly as he watched her suck the fudgy chocolate from her fingers. "Uh huh," he managed to grunt.

"You are fairly irresistible," she said solemnly as she popped more brownie into her mouth.

"Yep. That's me," Luke said as he dropped his container back into the bag and stood up. "I have to get back. There's probably a line of women sending their burgers back because Caesar's aren't as juicy as mine."

Lorelai beamed up at him, oblivious to the faint smear of chocolate on her front tooth. "You do make a very juicy burger."

Luke rolled his eyes as he picked up their discarded containers and started for the steps. "Good luck getting those gutters taken care of."

Lorelai laughed, knowing that the fact that he hadn't forgotten her mission meant that in the next few days he would appear at her door, toolbox in hand. She watched as he clomped heavily down the steps. "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?" he answered as he dumped their trash into a nearby bin.

"Thanks for rescuing me," she said as she stood up from the bench.

"Yeah, well, I don't mind a Slim Jim every once in a while, but I'm not touching the Pop Tarts," he said with a shrug.

"Dirty! And good call."

"I'll bring your basket by sometime so you can have it ready for the next victim." Luke lifted his hand in a wave and turned to walk toward the diner.

Lorelai leaned against a post, cocking her head as she appreciated the view. She looked down at the half-eaten brownie in her hand and then back up at him. "Hey, Luke?" she called out.

He paused and turned back toward the gazebo, an uncertain frown puckering his forehead. Lorelai smiled and gestured to him with the paper wrapped brownie. "This was fun. And nice."

Luke nodded and said, "I'll start saving up. Just in case you need me next year."

Lorelai tilted her head and smiled, a faint blush warming her cheeks. "We should do it again sometime."

Luke's head reared back slightly even as his feet began moving back toward her. "Have another picnic?" he asked cautiously.

"Have fun," she corrected. "Something where we don't have to sit on the ground."

Luke nodded slowly and then said, "It was nice."

"See you later, Luke."

He lifted his hand one more time and called, "See you later, Lorelai."

****

He didn't let himself think about it. Not for the rest of the afternoon, not through the dinner rush, not while he served the post basketball game crowd. He finished cleaning the kitchen, his head unconsciously bobbing along with the relentless beat of the music Jess blared in the apartment above. He turned out the kitchen lights and stood behind the counter with his hands on his hips, and at last, his gaze was drawn to the gazebo lit with twinkle lights.

He couldn't let himself think about it all evening, because if he did he'd do something impulsive. This was not the time for impulsive. This was the time to think things through. Or was it? Lorelai Gilmore had asked him out. Kind of. It sounded like she was asking him out. He was pretty sure she was asking him out, or at least giving him the opening to ask her out. He didn't want to blow it. He'd let these little opportunities slip by before, and he was tired of kicking his own ass. No, this one was not going to get a pass. Luke glanced at his watch as he reached for the phone and frowned as he noted that it was already ten-thirty.

_She's at work. _Luke braced both hands on the counter and sighed. He wanted to see her now. He didn't want to wait for morning. _Stupid basketball game. Stupid kids with their plates of fries and onion rings. _His stomach grumbled, and he pressed his hand to it to shut it up. Hanging his head, he stared at the scarred old counter top and pressed his lips together, resigning himself to waiting for the morning.

As he turned back to the kitchen, Luke thought about his tackle box, and the lures he had planned to sort through. He snorted as he turned the lights on again and crossed to the refrigerator; knowing that he wouldn't sort them, that there would be no fishing, and that he'd be making her pancakes in the morning. He pulled some sliced turkey from the shelf and dropped it onto the counter before reaching onto a tall rack for a loaf of wheat bread. His stomach growled again loudly and he muttered, "I hear ya, we missed dinner. I get it," under his breath.

He looked down at the loaf of bread and the pack of turkey, and blinked as an idea struck him like a bag of nickels. Luke picked up the wheat bread and placed it back on the shelf, exchanging it for a bag of hoagie rolls, and then turning back to the fridge to pull out all of the stops.

Fifteen minutes later, he stared down at two opened foil packages, each containing a single Pop Tart. His hand hovered over the trash can, but somehow he couldn't force his fingers to release them into the abyss. Instead, he placed them gently onto the counter next to two tightly wrapped sandwiches, a container of potato salad and a bag of chips. He placed the single Slim Jim next to the pricey pastries he had procured earlier that afternoon, and then loaded the basket with the food he had assembled.

He stared down into the basket and contemplated its meager contents. With a decisive nod, he unloaded the sandwiches, the potato salad and the small bag of chips. If there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that if the way to Lorelai Gilmore's heart was through her stomach, overkill was the route to take. His lips set in a thin line of determination, he set off through his diner like a whirlwind.

****

To say that she was frustrated would be a gross understatement. Lorelai pulled boxes to sample sized toiletries from the store room shelves and arranged them in piles on the floor. She was tired and a little cranky, so it was probably just as well that she was tucked away in the far corner of the inn's basement with only the hum of the giant furnace for company.

She didn't get her nap. She had tried, oh she had tried; tossing and turning in the pale evening light, punching her pillows until they practically screamed for mercy, and mentally cursing the stupid bird that had taken up residence on her clogged gutter to sing its little heart out. It was all Luke's fault, and she wanted him to pay. _And you can bet your bippie that this is gonna cost him more than fifty bucks, _she thought mutinously as she pulled stack after stack of washcloths from a high shelf and piled them on the sheet she had draped over the floor.

_Fifty-two fifty for two stale Pop Tarts and a Slim Jim. He had stood there with his wallet open offering up all of the cash that he had on hand to save me from bachelors number one, two and three. He saved me, fed me, and teased me before walking away. Again. The bastard. There was a moment, dammit. I gave him an opening. Hell, I practically begged him to ask me out. Stupid town with their stupid basket bidding, getting a girl's hopes up, stirring up that crazy crush that ebbed and flowed like the tides. It was there, always there. And just when you think it has receded, he smiles that tiny little smile and it rushes in again. _

Lorelai sighed as she placed a tower of hand towels next to the washcloths. It was nice. Spending time with Luke was always nice. Okay, maybe they weren't always overly nice to each other when they did, but the ribbing and the teasing were just what they did. It was their shtick. It was nice for them. And it was good. The day, the picnic, the burger, Luke. He looked good. Really good. That purple and blue plaid shirt. The blue ball cap. The blue, blue eyes focused intently on her as he smiled that smile.

That smile was so good. Almost better than a wide grin. Actually, it was better. It was the male equivalent of the southern belle simper that Captain Butler kissed from Scarlett O'Hara Kennedy's face. It was powerful, potent, and purposeful. She just knew it was. And she was sure that he knew it too. That tiny smile barely lifted the corners of his mouth, curving his lips in a way that they were practically begging to be kissed. And often. And by somebody who knows how. And Lorelai wanted to be that somebody. She just knew that given half a chance, she would be the proper person.

She dropped down onto the floor indian-style and picked up the clipboard holding the inventory form as she yawned loudly. She stared at the inventory list, but couldn't read a word. This afternoon wasn't the first time this had happened. No, she had thought about it before. She had thought about him a lot. Sometimes, she thought about him so much that she almost knew how it would feel. His lips would be soft, his beard would be rough. He would taste sweet, but not sugary, heaven forbid. His arms would be strong, banding around her gently, and practically humming with tensile restraint. His body would be hard. Solid and firm, unyielding but warm. So warm that a girl would melt like butter.

But that smile. That smug little smile. So sure, so self aware. Oh, he knows what it does to a girl. He has to know. I guy doesn't just smile like that. It's too cool, too everything. That tiny little smile, the blue, blue eyes, those softly curving lips.

_Like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth,_ she thought derisively. _Damn him with his mountain of crispy, perfect French fries, juicy burgers, fluffy pancakes and gooey, fudgey brownies. Damn him with his stupid flannel shirts and that idiotic baseball cap. Damn, I wanted to kiss that smile right off of his face. And that is why I couldn't sleep, _Lorelai thought grimly as she gave her head a harsh shake.

She peered down at the inventory form and murmured, "Shampoos," as she opened one of the boxes. She scanned the contents of the box, and then made a note in the appropriate box before opening the next one. _Maybe I should think about him some more, _she thought idly as she tapped the end of her pen against the clipboard. _Lord knows, I'll need something to keep me awake._

****

_Okay, I feel kind of stupid now, _he admitted to himself as he walked into the lobby of the Independence Inn clutching a wicker basket and looking as if he were searching for the wizard.

"Hey, Luke," Linda said as she looked up from the book she was reading at the front desk.

"Hey. Is, uh, Lorelai around?"

"She's in the basement doing inventory. Do you want me to call her to come up?"

"Oh, no, thanks. I'll just," he muttered as he gestured to the back hall and the steps that led to the basement.

"Okay," Linda answered easily as she returned to her book.

Luke scowled as he walked down the steps, noting the spots where the rubber treads were peeling up and making a mental note to replace them before Mia got sued. He passed the laundry facilities, skirted the large, humming furnace, and made his way back to the oversized utility closet just next the breaker box he had been known to service in a pinch. Stopping in the open doorway, he found Lorelai sitting cross-legged in the center of a white sheet, counting washcloths.

"Sixty-nine," she muttered. "Of course," she added with a snort as she made note on her clipboard.

"Missing some?" he asked quietly, wincing when she jumped and pressed her hand to her heart.

"What? What are you doing here?" she stammered as she stared up at him wide-eyed.

"I wasn't sure if you got dinner," he said as he nodded to the basket in his hand.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes suspiciously and asked, "Did I fall asleep?"

Luke frowned in puzzlement. "Uh, you didn't look like you were asleep. It looked like you were counting."

"So, you are not a figment of my imagination?"

"Not the last time I checked," he said with a shrug.

"You brought me food?"

"Well, I got busy and forgot to eat, and I was thinking that maybe you didn't get dinner since you were going to sleep before you came in," he said, his voice slowing as he realized how lame his master plan sounded when spoken out loud. "I guess that's kind of stupid, huh? You have a whole kitchen right upstairs."

Lorelai's smile was slow to form, but soon spread to her eyes. "You brought me food! You are a dream!"

"Did you eat?"

"Pop Tarts. Fresh ones," she added. Lorelai looked down at the basket in his hand and said, "Oh no! You're not bringing me back the lunch I packed, are you? Is this some kind of Machiavellian revenge? I'll write you a check for the $52.50," she promised as she held up her hands in surrender.

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "I would never do that to another human being. I think it's against the rules of the Geneva Convention."

"Come in," she said as she waved him forward. Luke looked dubiously at the piles of supplies scattered around her and hesitated before taking a cautious step onto the sheet. "Wait! Shoes off," she ordered as she nodded to her own shoes parked by the door.

"What?"

"These sheets and towels are clean, buddy, and I'm not washing any more than the one I'm sitting on," she said firmly.

"Oh. Okay," Luke said as he set the basket on the floor and bent to unlace his boots, praying he had chosen socks with no holes in them that morning. Relieved when he found that he had indeed donned a fairly new pair, he stripped off his old green army jacket.

Lorelai flipped open the lid on the basket and gaped at the bounty before her. "man, if I knew that you were gonna refill this I would have bought a bigger one," she said as she unloaded a slice of pie, two paper wrapped brownies and a bag of potato chips.

"Well, you didn't plan on me buying your basket," he pointed out as he kicked his boots aside and dropped his coat on top of them.

"As far as you know," Lorelai added with a teasing smile. "Next year I'm buying the hugest basket ever made and making you buy it."

Luke snorted as he stood over her with his hands on his hips. "That's not the way it's supposed to work."

"Fine then. You put a basket in the auction, and I'll buy it."

"It doesn't work like that either."

"It could. There's no rule that says that the girl has to make the basket," she said as she pulled out a container of potato salad and then another filled with coleslaw. "Oh, thank you, God," she said as she set the salads aside and dove with both hands for the thermos nestled on the bottom.

"Yeah, I thought you'd like some herbal tea," he said straight-faced.

"Ha!" she scoffed as she unscrewed the cap and closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply. "Ahh, I knew I loved you for a reason," she said as she savored the rich aroma of Luke's special blend.

She beamed up at him, but her smile faded as he continued to stare down at her impassively. She blinked rapidly, and then asked, "Aren't you gonna sit down? It looks like that there are two sandwiches in here and you said you hadn't eaten," she reminded him. When he didn't answer right away, Lorelai carefully set the thermos aside and reached into the basket to remove the sandwiches in question. "One of these is for you, right? Or do you really think that I'm such a pig that I could plow through all of this? Wait. Strike that. Okay, we both know that I can, but I don't want to," she rambled. "I could get you a chair," she said as she glanced around at the sheet spread over the worn linoleum.

"I don't need a chair," Luke said as he lowered himself into the only available space on the sheet. He sat with one leg stretched out between a tower of towels and a mountain of individually wrapped soaps and the other curled in front of him.

"I know you hate sitting on the ground," she said as she gestured broadly, a sandwich grasped in each hand.

Luke followed the arcing path of her hands and then reached out to still her left wrist. "The one with the 'L' is mine," he told her as he gently removed the sandwich in question from her hand.

"Oh? How do you know? Maybe the 'L' is for 'Lorelai,' hmm?"

Luke chuckled as he reached into the basket and retrieved a bottle of water, some plastic cutlery and paper napkins. "I know because I made them. This one has extra vegetables on it. Wanna trade?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Ugh, no," Lorelai said as she began to unwrap her sandwich. "I can't believe you did this."

"I can always claim temporary insanity."

Lorelai gasped as she lifted her sandwich. "Uh oh. You didn't eat the Pop Tarts, did you?"

"Hell no."

"Good. It's hard to say what happens when good preservatives go bad, you know," she said, and then took a bite.

Luke rolled his eyes as he began to unwrap his own sandwich. "So, let me ask you something," he said gruffly.

"Hmm?" she hummed through stuffed cheeks.

"How often do you have guys bringing you baskets of food at work?" he asked without looking up.

Lorelai's brow furrowed as she chewed and then swallowed hard. "Um, not as often as the little girl with the red hooded cape, why?" she asked with a perplexed smile.

Luke shrugged and said, "I dunno. I walked through the lobby to get down here and Linda hardly batted an eye, so I thought maybe this happens all the time."

"Uh, no. This never happens. At least not when I'm here. Tobin or Michel, well I don't wanna know…"

"Gotcha."

"Besides, Linda doesn't care if her pants are on fire if there's a new Stephanie Plum book out."

"Okay."

"What are you doing here, though. I thought you needed to get your fish thingies in order," she asked as she pried the lid off of the potato salad and grabbed a plastic fork.

"Nah, I'm not going fishing," Luke said dismissively.

"You're not? How come?"

"I don't know," he said as he opened his sandwich and pulled the sliced tomato he had put on there from the sandwich, just as she had earlier.

"The tomatoes aren't so great," Lorelai said with a grimace.

"Sorry. Hard to get good ones this time of year. It's always a crap shoot."

"So, the tomato crisis? That's why you're not going fishing?" she asked.

Luke shook his head, chuckling as he looked up from his sandwich. "More like the pancake panic," he said, his lips curling slightly into a ghost of a smile.

_Bingo! _Lorelai's brain screamed as she stabbed her fork into the potato salad and set it aside. She hurriedly rolled her sandwich into its wrapper and started tossing things back into the basket as quickly as she could.

"What? What's wrong?" Luke demanded. "Is the potato salad no good?"

"It's fine," Lorelai said brusquely as he carefully placed the pie and brownies on top of the basket and pushed the whole thing aside.

"Are you mad? I'm sorry the tomatoes suck, but I didn't put any on yours," he pointed out.

"Do it again," she ordered.

"Do what again?"

"Do it. Smile at me like that again, I dare you."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know you're doing it!" she accused. "You're doing it to drive me crazy!"

"You are crazy! What is your problem?"

Lorelai shifted up onto her knees and inched closer to him. "Do it. Smile that little smile."

"Are you sure the Pop Tarts you had were fresh?" he asked, rearing back slightly, but unable to move away. "Lorelai," he breathed as she moved closer still.

"That tiny smile, the one that just turns the corners of your mouth up," she said in a soft, mesmerizing voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he whispered.

"It drives me crazy."

Luke blinked rapidly and then his lips curved. "Good crazy?" he asked gruffly.

"And there it is," Lorelai whispered as she leaned forward and touched her lips to the very corner of his mouth and then moved to the other side, her lips soft and sweet against the shadow of his beard.

"Tell me. Tell me what it is, so that I can do it more," he said urgently as she pulled away.

Lorelai shook her head gravely and said, "I can't do that on the grounds that I might incriminate myself." She glanced down at the wrapper where his sandwich sat precariously close to her knee. "Do you want this?" she asked as she began to wrap it sloppily.

"The sandwich? No," he said in a low deep voice.

Lorelai reached over and dropped the half-wrapped sandwich atop the picnic basket, and then turned back to him. "Do you want this?" she asked quietly, her eyes locked on his.

Luke moved in an instant, shifting up onto one knee and kicking over the tower of towels as he struggled to get the other under him. His hands cradled her face, pressing his palms to her soft cheeks as his lips captured hers in an urgent kiss.

Lorelai gave a breathy laugh as he pulled away, his dark lashes sweeping upward to reveal the answer in his eyes. "That's a 'yes,' yes?"

"Yes," he said gruffly as he wound his arms around her and pulled her to his chest, crushing her lips beneath his as he propelled her back with the force of his kiss.

Lorelai's hands flew to his head, knocking the ball cap to the floor in her quest to sink her fingers into his softly curling hair as she parted her lips. Their tongues met, each anxious to get a taste of the other. Luke spread his hands flat over her back, letting them slide down until his fingers spanned her narrow waist, his thumbs digging into the soft curve above her hipbone as the kiss heated up. Lorelai slipped one hand down his neck to his shoulder and pressed, firmly but gently pushing him away so that she could catch her breath.

She looked him boldly in the eye, her own cloudy with undisguised desire. "I knew it would be nice," she said breathlessly.

"Nice isn't the word," he answered, unable to look away.

"Oh, but it is," she said as her fingers trailed down his chest to the first button on that purple and blue flannel that made his eyes seem indigo. "So nice," she asserted as she opened the tiny button.

"Lorelai," Luke said in a hoarse voice.

"Don't you think it's nice? You and me?" she asked as she deftly opened the next button.

"Definitely," he answered promptly. At last, his gaze dropped to his chest, where her other hand had joined in the efforts, quickly opening his flannel shirt, and then smoothing over the thin cotton of the t-shirt he wore beneath. The muscles in his stomach jumped under her gentle caress, and his breath escaped him in a rush. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"Shh," she whispered as her palms moved over his chest and up onto his shoulders, pushing the soft, brushed cotton from their broad expanse.

"I didn't say anything," he pointed out as she stripped the flannel down over his biceps.

"Good. Don't," she instructed as she tugged on the fabric, nodding for him to lower his arms so that she could remove it.

Once he was free, Luke raised one hand to her throat, pushing her jaw up with his thumb as his long fingers dove into the soft curls behind her ear. He captured her lips again, kissing her slowly and deliberately, setting the smoldering heat that gathered low in her belly aflame.

"So nice," she panted as his lips moved to her jaw and blazed a path to her ear.

"Shh," he whispered, low and husky in her ear.

Lorelai shivered as his warm breath tickled her, she clung to his back, her fingers curling into the hard ridges of muscle, reveling in the way they rippled with his every move. He leaned into her, cradling her back with one hand as he tipped her head back and ravaged the creamy skin of her neck. Lorelai felt her muscles grow lax and liquid, giving in to the force of his body pressed insistently against hers. She shifted, lowering herself to her bottom as she swung her legs out from under her, scattering stray bottles of shampoo and toppling boxes of lotion yet to be counted.

Luke stared down at her, his lips parted, his breathing ragged. When she looked up at him, blinking her eyes slowly in invitation, his lips quirked at the edges and curved upward.

"That, right there," Lorelai said as she reached up and grasped the back of his head, pulling him down so that she could kiss away the tiny smile that tormented her. She fell back, narrowly missing the corner of the metal shelves as she dragged him down on top of her.

His lips slid over hers; tasting, tempting, teasing her until her fingers tightened in his hair and her tongue sought his again. The moment they touched, Luke lowered his body onto hers, pinning her beneath his weight, pressing into her soft curves.

Lorelai grappled with his t-shirt, pulling on it frantically in her quest to free it from his jeans, her fingers tightening in his soft hair as he angled his head and took the kiss deeper. She managed to free the hem of his shirt enough to slip one hand up under it, pressing her palm to the small of his back and moaning as he ground against her in response.

Luke tore his mouth from hers, sliding to his side a bit as he looked down into her heavy lidded blue eyes. He licked his lips, tasting her there as her hand continued to explore his back, ratcheting his shirt up higher and higher. His fingers trailed lightly down the slim column of her throat to the open collar of her shirt, his pinkie brushing against the crisp cotton as if sending up a warning flare. He watched her carefully, waiting for a sign of uncertainty, a signal that he should halt his progress. His index finger brushed the soft valley between her breasts, and then rested lightly on the small plastic button that secured the fabric.

Lorelai wet her kiss-swollen lips with the tip of her pink tongue. "That feels nice," she whispered, arching her back slightly in anticipation.

Luke moved onto his side a little more, mindless of the pile of plastic wrapped shower caps that slipped and slid beneath him as he opened that first button, unveiling milky white skin that had never freckled in the sun. He raised his eyes to hers once more as his fingers brushed over the center clasp of her bra and moved down to the next button. Lorelai abandoned her quest to conquer the planes of his back, and set to work freeing the rest of his t-shirt from his jeans.

When he freed the last button, Luke leaned down and kissed her hard and hot, pressing the obvious evidence of his arousal against her thigh as he parted her blouse and his hand slid over her ribs to claim her breast. He groaned against her lips, kissing her hungrily as his thumb stroked the beaded tip that pressed eagerly against the satin and lace confining it.

Lorelai bowed up, pushing her breast into his palm, her tongue tangling hopelessly with his as the desire to have him touch every inch of her body consumed her. She felt the tension give way as he opened the clasp of her bra and gasped softly as his warm, calloused palm closed over her bare skin. Luke pulled back, looking down at her for a moment as he struggled to catch his breath, and then pressed his open mouth to the tempting skin of her throat.

His teeth scraped against his windpipe, and Lorelai feared she'd never draw a complete breath again. His tongue dipped into the hollow at her collarbone, and she decided that breathing was entirely overrated. He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, pinching it gently as it furled tighter, and she realized that she could die happy as long as she died at his hands. Or mouth. Or body. His hips moved against her leg, desperately seeking the friction he needed as he ducked his head, showering her freckled skin with thousands of tiny kisses that paled in comparison to that one tiny smile.

"Please," she croaked, her voice drenched in unapologetic desire.

Luke moved down, kicking aside a pile of postcards with a picture of the Independence Inn on the front, and closed his lips over the beaded tip of her breast, soothing the sensitive flesh he had been tormenting. Lorelai cradled his head with both hands, pressing up into him, begging him to take more as he drew her deeply into his mouth and sucked hard. When he shifted to hover over her, brushing aside the material that still shrouded her other breast, her hands flew to his shoulders and pulled urgently at his shirt.

"Off," she panted. "I want to feel you."

Luke pushed back straddling one leg as he knelt above her and stripped off this t-shirt. Lorelai pressed her hands to his chest, staring up at him as she ran her fingers over the fine hair that covered it. He began to lower himself back to her, but she stopped him by pressing her palms into his taut muscles. When he blinked at her in confusion, she smiled smugly and whispered, "We're on the ground."

"I don't give a damn," he growled and lowered his mouth to capture the tip of her other breast.

"Good," she breathed as she slid her hands to his arms, kneading his biceps as they flexed. She moved them up over his smooth, broad shoulders and then traced the length of his spine with her fingertips, dipping them into the gap in the back of his jeans and stroking the swell of his ass.

He released her breast, gazing down at her with damp, parted lips as he watched his own hand cover and claim the soft mound; his fingers gently kneading her flesh. He pressed his mouth to her stomach as his other hand strayed to the button on her thin trousers. This time, he did not hesitate. He drew the zipper down slowly as he kissed his way to her navel and circled it teasingly with his tongue. Lorelai's hips bucked as he parted the fabric, his fingers teasing the tops of her bikini panties. His fingers slipped reluctantly from her breast, his thumb brushing over the taut tip of her one last time as he moved to kneel between her legs.

Lorelai watched, her breath hitching in anticipation as he spread his long fingers over her stomach, his skin dark against hers. She glanced over his shoulder and gasped softly as he pressed his open mouth to the tender skin just above her panties.

"Luke," she hissed.

"Mm hmm," he hummed in agreement.

"The door is open," she whispered urgently.

Luke sat up like a shot. His head whipped around and he saw the store room door propped wide with a doorstop. Lorelai giggled and immediately covered her exposed breasts with her hands as he gaped at the door for a moment, as if he were trying to figure out how it operates. He lunged for it, yanking the door stop from its base and tossing it aside.

"Ow," Lorelai gasped and then laughed as the edge of the closing door caught her foot.

"Sorry," Luke grunted as she bent her leg, giving it clearance to swing shut. He groaned in frustration as the door swept rolling bottles of toiletries in it's path and then caught on his coat and boots. Luke turned and shoved the impediments from the room and then watched to be sure it latched securely before turning back to her with a sheepish smile.

Lorelai's body shook with laughter as she continued to cup her bare breasts. Luke shook his head in disbelief and then reached for her wrists, gently removing her hands, and pressing his lips to the soft valley between her breasts. She continued to chuckle softly as he kissed his way back down her stomach undeterred, but her laughter stopped as he slipped one hand into the front of her panties, letting his fingertips tangle in the curls that lie beneath.

He heard her breath catch in her throat as her laughter abruptly ceased and then turned into a soft moan. He pushed back, catching the waistband of her pants at her hips, and pulling them down as she lifted up off of the floor. He skimmed them quickly down her legs, pausing to pull off the thin socks she wore before wrapping his hands around each ankle and smoothing his palms up over her long legs. He pressed his mouth to the inside of her thigh, his hair brushing against the pale lavender panties that covered her, and Lorelai reached for him.

"Admit it, this is nice," she coaxed teasingly.

A small laugh escaped him and tickled her leg. He bared his teeth and sank them gently into the tender flesh before sucking it into his mouth and pulling on it hungrily. He relinquished his prize with a loud pop, and then favored her with a wide smile. Lorelai sucked in a breath, staring down at the fine lines that fanned from his eyes, and the flash of white teeth against his reddened lips.

"This is very nice," he said in a deep, throaty voice that vibrated through her. Luke pressed his mouth to the satin that covered her sex, letting his warm breath seep through the thin fabric. He looked up at her from under his lashes and said softly, "I could do this every day."

"Oh yes, please do," she implored as he lowered his mouth to her again, letting his tongue scrape along her panties teasingly. When she whimpered, he slipped his fingers under the elastic that banded her leg, and trailed it slowly from her hip to the very center of her.

Soft, strangled sounds of urgent need mingled with her every breath and a whispered plea heated his blood, making his cock twitch within its too tight confines. Luke parted her with that one finger, groaning loudly when he found her wet and wanting. His free hand grappled with his jeans, desperate to loosen the constraints to bound him. He drew his zipper down as he pressed the tip of his finger into her. Lorelai bucked wildly against him desperate for more.

"Luke," she whispered as he pushed deeper into her, feeling her slick, hot walls close around his finger.

"Oh yeah," he murmured under his breath as he began to stroke her, curling his finger deep inside of her.

"Luke, please," she said more forcefully, capturing his attention. When his eyes flew to hers, she smiled helplessly, trying to convey her needs with her eyes.

Luke looked down at her, his heated blue gaze sweeping over her as his brow knit in consternation. "I want…" he trailed off as he looked down at his hand moving between her legs.

"Tomorrow," she answered.

"Tomorrow?"

"You said you wanted to do this every day," she gently reminded him.

"But…"

Lorelai hooked her thumbs into her panties and raised her hips, undulating against his hand even as she pushed them down.

Luke groaned and licked his lips as he looked down at her, watching his own hand flex as his finger slowed inside of her. Pressing his lips together, he swallowed hard and then withdrew his hand, moving to pull her twisted panties down her legs, and then pushing his jeans and boxers down over his hips.

Lorelai made a soft purring sound as she sat up, wrapping her fingers around the thick length of his cock as it sprang free. She stroked him lightly, her thumb teasing the tip of him as he abandoned his jeans at his knees and reached out to touch her again. He teased her slit with the pad of his finger, mimicking her soft caresses as he knelt between her knees, his chest heaving with unconcealed need.

Lorelai's lips curved into a tiny smile as she coaxed him forward, leading him to her as her fingers tightened around him. Luke moved his hand, bracing his weight on both wrists as she guided him to her entrance. A shudder ran through his body as the tip of his cock parted her damp heat.

"This is going to be so nice," Lorelai whispered as she slid her hand up over his hip and gently squeezed his ass.

Luke lost the battle against his eyelids, giving in to their weight as he sank into her slowly, gritting his teeth as she enveloped him inch by torturous inch. Only when he was fully sheathed in her, pulsing against her tight walls, did his eyelashes flutter and he opened his eyes to meet her gaze. Lorelai inhaled sharply as she stared up into those deep, fathomless eyes. "Lorelai," he whispered in a choked voice.

Her smile was slow, but couldn't be contained to the soft curve of her lips. Instead, it spread across her face, lighting her drowsy eyes and beaming up at him. "I knew I'd get you on the ground one way or another," she whispered as she draped her legs over his, trapping him there deep within her.

Luke basked in the warmth of her smile, the familiar teasing in her voice, and the incredible heat of her surrounding him. He raised one hand to her cheek and then smoothed her hair back from her temple tenderly as his lips curved into a small, affectionate smile. A soft mewl of surrender rushed from her lips, and he kissed her gently as he finally gave in to the urge to move.

His lips never strayed far from hers, nipping at them mindlessly as their bodies moved in unison. He caught her bottom lip between his and sucked gently as he began to thrust faster, unable to steel himself against the relentless pull of her muscles binding him to her. Her breath came in shallow puffs, teasing his lips, letting him taste her soft moans of pleasure. He closed his eyes; driving her up, his body buried deep inside of her, throbbing with need. She cried out softly as she climaxed, her nails curling into the soft, smooth skin of his back. Her name tangled on his tongue as he filled her, pulsing his release as he gasped open-mouthed for air.

She smiled lazily as he slowed, soothing each shudder that wracked his body with the palms of her hands. He collapsed onto her, burying his face in the curve of her neck and inhaling deeply. "Lorelai," he whispered against her skin.

Her smile grew as she pressed a soft kiss to his hair and whispered, "Nice, huh?"

Luke chuckled, his shoulders quaking as he pushed up onto his elbows and shook his head as he smiled down at her. "Nice," he agreed with a slow nod.

She shifted slightly and winced. "You might be right about the ground thing," she whispered.

"Oh geez," Luke gasped as he began to scramble up off of her.

"No!" Lorelai cried as she tried to stop him, but was too late. "Nooo," she said piteously as the cool air rushed over her skin.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Luke said as he shook his head helplessly and then pulled her up to gather her into his arms. "I was crushing you," he murmured as he kissed her ear.

"No, it wasn't you. I think there were sewing kits under me," she said as she looked back at where she had lain with a scowl.

Luke ran a hand over her hair and then pulled back as he cradled the back of her head affectionately. He looked down at her, his lips quirking as he asked, "Sewing kits?"

Lorelai's answering smile was instant as she said, "Needles, tiny safety pins," with a shrug.

Luke looked around at the small room, shaking his head at the complete disarray that surrounded them. "What the hell is all this crap?"

Lorelai laughed and pulled him down for a hard, fast kiss. "This is the crap that we put in all of the guest rooms. Now, aren't you glad that these little guys can't speak?" she asked as she scooped up a packaged shoe shine cloth and waved it at him.

"Uh, very glad," he said gruffly.

Lorelai dropped the package and reached up to cup his cheek, feeling the beginnings of his beard against her palm. "You shaved today."

Luke shrugged and whispered, "Seemed like time."

"This was nice."

He kissed her tenderly and then pressed his forehead to hers. "This was very nice."

"And fun."

"And fun," he agreed.

"Even if we were on the ground," she added with a devilish grin.

"Yes."

"Technically, we're underground," she pointed out.

Luke groaned. "I've got it, you win," he conceded.

"And we should do it again," Lorelai said as she stared pointedly into his eyes.

"We should definitely do it again," Luke answered in a low, intimate voice.

"But now, we should get dressed so you can help me with this inventory," she said with a winning smile.

Luke nodded but didn't loosen his hold on her. Instead, he raised his hand to her throat, tipping her chin up slightly as he brushed his lips over hers. "Best fifty-two fifty I ever spent," he said gruffly.

Lorelai gasped and then pulled away. "Fifty-two fifty? I'm worth more than fifty-two fifty!"

"For the Pop Tarts," he said as he tried desperately to hold onto her. "I meant for the Pop Tarts," he assured her.

Lorelai smiled as she kissed him softly, her hand trailing between their bodies and her fingers brushing over his cock. "Good thing your name isn't Jim," she whispered, and then pulled away.

"Good thing," he grumbled.

As he reluctantly released her, she fell back onto her elbows smiling up at him happily. "I did see pie in that basket, right?"

Averting his eyes from her naked body, Luke jerked his jeans and boxers up over his hips and said, "Not until you finish your sandwich."

Lorelai grinned and lifted her hand, letting her fingers trail lightly between her breasts. "Perhaps we can negotiate a trade…"


	33. Angels or Demons?

**A/N: Pardon me as I blatantly ignore the rest of this episode. I think we may have found a better way to get rid of furniture that gives you nightmares… **

**Angels or Demons?**

"I've got another surprise for ya," Luke said, trying to suppress a proud smile.

"What?"

"Upstairs," he said as he took her elbow to guide her to the steps.

"Where?"

"Bedroom."

Lorelai gasped, grinning as his hand slid down to take hers. "Upstairs in the bedroom? Whatever could it be?"

Luke rolled his eyes as he led her up the stairs. When they reached the upstairs landing he said, "Close your eyes."

Lorelai smirked as she said, "I'm not scared of it anymore, Luke."

"Would you please just close your eyes?" he said impatiently.

"Okay," Lorelai acquiesced, obediently closing her eyes.

Luke opened the new doors and then guided her gently into the bedroom. "Is is a dirty surprise?" she asked in a whisper.

"Ah, nuh uh. You ready?"

Lorelai nodded. "Ready."

"Take a look," he said as he flung his arms out wide to encompass the newly renovated room.

Lorelai opened her eyes and gaped when she saw her beautiful new bedroom filled with dark, heavy and hideously creepy, antique furniture. "Wow! What is this?" she asked, trying hard to keep the disappointment from her voice.

"This is my grandmother's bedroom set. It's in perfect shape. Can you imagine?" he asked excitedly.

"Wow!" Lorelai managed to sputter. She looked up and noticed the ornate cherubs carved into the headboard, footboard and seemingly every available surface. "Look at all the cherubs."

"People have been trying to buy it off me for years, but I always felt that I would eventually find the perfect place to put it, you know?"

"Uh-huh," she mumbled as she wandered the room, unable to take her eyes off of the cherubs, just in case they decided to attack.

"And then the room was done and just sitting there, and I remembered the day you came down to that storage unit, and you saw the furniture, and you said you liked it."

"I did?" Lorelai asked, her brow puckering as she tried to recall which day she had dropped some peyote and gone furniture hunting with Luke.

"Yeah! And since you liked it and I've been looking for a place to put it, I figured…" he said with a shy smile.

"When did I come to your storage unit?" Lorelai wondered aloud.

"Five years ago. You needed to borrow that space heater," he reminded her.

"Oh, right."

"And look." Luke picked up an old painting of a sailboat and held it up for her to see. "I haven't had a chance to put these up. Aren't they great?" he enthused.

Lorelai looked up, shocked from her stupor by the excited tone of his voice. "Yes. Yes, they are," she stammered.

"Yeah, I was tempted to get them reframed, but it just didn't seem right," he rushed on, barely noticing as she gazed in horror at the wavy glass in the mirror above the dresser.

When she noticed that he seemed to be waiting for some sort of response, she tore her eyes from her funhouse reflection. She forced a smile and said, "Oh. I've got one big eye. That's fun."

"Yeah, that's the original glass. You can't find that anymore. So, you sure you like it?" he asked anxiously.

Lorelai looked into his earnest blue eyes and saw the excitement there. "I love it," she said softly.

Luke smile was instant. "Great. Okay, well...let's get downstairs, 'cause I am making risotto," he said with a self-congratulatory chuckle as he left the room.

Lorelai lingered in the doorway, her gaze taking in the whole horrific scene again. "I just love it," she murmured to herself as she pulled the doors safely closed.

****

She felt horrible. Almost as horrible as that god-awful bedroom set looked. He'd been so sweet, so attentive, so excited to be able to contribute this to the life that they were building together. And she hated it. Not that he was trying, just the fruits of his efforts. Lorelai knew she should just suck it up and live with the scary band of cherubs watching her every move. She knew that she should look on the bright side; there was no way in hell a single wrinkle would show in that mirror. Hell, even a veritable murder of crows could line-dance from the corners of her eyes, and she'd never have to see them.

Lorelai ran her fingertips over the few flannel shirts and pairs of jeans hanging on what would be Luke's side of the closet. She loved that his things were migrating here, to what he was making their house. He'd been so happy; serving her risotto, plying her with wine, and sitting quietly right beside her with his long fingers gliding trough her hair as she flipped from channel to channel. He'd been perfect, well, all except for this one thing. And he sincerely believed that she loved it, and if there was one thing she never wanted to do it would be to shake his unshakable belief in her.

Lorelai pulled one of the flannels from its hanger. She stepped out of her clothes and slipped into the soft brushed cotton. Smiling as she buttoned the shirt, she then reached out to run her finger along the skinny, tiny molding that finished her dream closet to perfection. She stepped into the bedroom, carefully averting her eyes from the cherubim and seraphim that waited to greet them. Lorelai made her way to the door of her dream bathroom, and found her dream man dropping his toothbrush into the holder between the double sinks.

"Hey," he said, smiling when he spotted her dressed only in his shirt. His gaze lingered on her long legs and then swept back up. "Nice, huh?" he asked as he gestured to the bathroom.

"Beautiful," she said as she stepped into the room. Lorelai ran her hands over his chest and then linked them behind his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. "Thank you," she whispered as she pulled away.

"Don't thank me, it was both of us," he said in a husky voice.

Lorelai shook her head slightly and said, "You." She began to unbutton his shirt, looking straight into those watchful blue eyes. "Dinner was delicious."

"I'm glad you liked it. I know it's not the magic risotto," he said with a wry smile.

"Wine, candles, the fire," she said as she pulled the shirt from his shoulders.

"Nice night," he said as he stood passively, happy to let her take the lead.

"A very nice night," Lorelai agreed. She reached for the buckle on his belt and opened it deftly.

Luke's eyebrows shot up as she began to push his jeans down over his hips, dragging his boxer-briefs down with them. "Lorelai…"

"Luke," she answered in a teasing tone. "I told you, I'm not scared of it anymore," she said with a twinkle in her eye as she sank to her knees.

Luke's knees buckled and he reached for the vanity to steady himself as she drew him into her warm mouth. He groaned as his free hand clenched in her hair.

Lorelai smiled as she released him; looking up at him as she dragged her tongue slowly up the length of his cock. "You are delicious," she murmured, letting her moist lips play over the tip of him.

"Oh god," Luke groaned as she drew him deep into her mouth once more, her soft, velvety tongue playing over his heated flesh. He closed his eyes, giving in to the insistent tug of her mouth as his fingers tightened in her hair. "Bed," he rasped.

Lorelai rocked back on her heels and looked up, smiling slyly as she hummed, "Hmm?"

Luke pulled on her arms, bunching the flannel in his hands as he pulled her to her feet. He pulled her to his chest, claiming that talented mouth with his own. His tongue tangled with hers, returning her appreciation with his ardor.

Lorelai pushed the hem of his t-shirt up over his stomach. The moment they parted, she tugged it over his head and tossed it onto the vanity before reclaiming his chest. Her palms slid over the muscled planes as her fingers spread greedily through his fine curling hair. Luke grasped the back of her head, tipping her face to his once more and kissing her heatedly.

Lorelai moaned into his mouth as he pressed into her, his hips circling slightly as he sought the friction he needed more than his next breath. She pressed her hand to his chest as she stepped back, evading another kiss as he leaned forward to follow her.

Lorelai smiled reassuringly as she bent down and pushed his jeans and shorts further down his legs. "Oh," Luke grunted.

"Wouldn't have been very smooth," she said with an affectionate smile as he stepped out of them.

"No." Luke obediently lifted each foot as she stripped off his socks, and then smiled as he reached for her again.

Their lips met before her legs straightened, and he kissed her urgently as they stood wrapped tightly in each other's arms. Finally, Luke raised his head and began walking backward toward the bedroom as he reached for the top button on the shirt she wore.

"Looks so much better on you," he said in a raspy voice.

"I like it on you, but I know that you like it on me," she answered as he bumped into the door jamb and then smiled sheepishly before correcting his course.

"Makes sense. I like me better on you too," he teased.

"Dirty boy."

"Man," he corrected automatically freeing button after button as they made their way to the bed.

"Dirty man," she said softly as he parted the shirt. When his eyes fell to the pink bikini panties she wore, Lorelai shrugged slightly, letting the shirt slide off of one shoulder.

Luke looked up and shook his head, tugging the shirt back up as he said, "No, leave it on."

Lorelai's smile grew and her eyes lit with pleasure when he hooked his thumbs into the sides of her panties, working them down over her hips and letting them slide to the floor. She quickly stepped out of them, letting her head fall back as his hands claimed her breasts.

His eyes grew dark and heavy lidded as the soft flannel brushed over his knuckles, and her supple breasts filled his palms. Returning the favor, he sank to his knees, pressing his open mouth to the slight curve of her stomach as he continued to knead her breasts, each caress more demanding than the last, each hot, wet kiss more hungry. He ducked his head and pressed his lips to her dark curls, drinking in the scent of her arousal with a guttural groan.

"Come back up here," Lorelai said quietly.

"Uh uh," he answered as he nuzzled her, his hands slipping down to her waist to hold her there. His tongue sought the tender, pink flesh that peeked from those ebony curls, laving it gently as she moaned in response.

"This is supposed to be for you," she whispered to the ceiling.

"This is for me," he answered, looking up at her boldly as he urged her legs apart.

He pressed his mouth to her sex, his tongue raking the length of her folds before reclaiming his prize. He drew her clit into his mouth and sucked gently as she undulated against him. Lorelai squeezed her eyes shut, relishing the exquisite torment as she struggled to hold back a little.

"Luke," she whispered as she pulled on his arms, just as he had pulled on hers a short time before.

Reluctantly, he rocked back and looked up at her. Lorelai smiled as she took a step closer to the bed and then turned, flipping the tail of his shirt up to expose the curve of her ass, and then kneeling on the bed facing the ornately carved headboard. She cast one glance over her shoulder and then fell forward catching herself on her hands, and wincing slightly when the mattress failed to cushion her weight. "Wow. Nice and firm," she said with a slight laugh.

"Supposed to be good for your back, I think," he answered as he rose up, pressing his lips to the cheek of her ass and then pushing his shirt up higher as he made his way up over her hip to the base of her spine.

Lorelai looked back at him and said softly, "I'm so not scared of it."

"No?" Luke asked as he raised one knee to the edge of the mattress and then frowned. "Low, isn't it?" he asked as he knelt behind her.

"Well, look at it this way; if we fall off it won't hurt as much," she replied. Her giggled turned to a soft moan of anticipation as he pressed his cock against her ass.

Luke leaned forward, bracing one hand next to hers as he pulled the collar of his shirt back and lightly sank his teeth into the soft muscle of her shoulder. He pushed back up and guided his cock to her entrance, and then filled her with one powerful stroke.

"Oh yes," Lorelai breathed as she let her head fall forward.

"Yes," he hissed as he grasped her hips, holding her steady with his cock buried deep inside of her. He slid his hands to her ribcage and urged her back, pulling her upright as he rose up behind her. Luke covered one breast, kneading it roughly as she circled her hips against him. He slipped the other hand between her legs and began to stroke her clit as he thrust up into her.

Lorelai bit her lip, surrendering to the sensation of his hard shaft pushing into her, his nimble fingers, stroking her clit harder and faster and pinching her nipple. "So good," she panted.

"Urgh."

"Oh yes, you're so good," she moaned as she opened her eyes and stared defiantly back at the cherubs carved into his grandmother's headboard. She glanced down, watching at his hand moved beneath his shirt, and his fingers tangled between her thighs. She looked back up at the nosy cherub and blurted, "So good, so bad. What would your grandmother say?"

"Guh?"

"They're watching us," she murmured.

"Lorelai," Luke groaned as he slowed.

"No! Don't stop, don't stop," she panted as she pressed down onto him.

"What are you saying?" he asked, incredulous.

"The angels, your grandmother's angels are watching everything you're doing to me," Lorelai rasped as she nodded to the headboard.

"They are not watching us," he growled as he released her breast.

Lorelai caught his hand and pulled it back up. "Keep going. We'll give them a show," she urged.

"You're nuts," Luke answered as he tried to pull away.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Lorelai pled as he rocked back onto his heels, his chest heaving. Still on her knees, Lorelai turned, her feet dangling off the narrow bed as she tried to face him. "I'm sorry, it's just, they were right there," she said with a helpless wave of her hand. "Here, I won't look," she promised as she pushed on his chest, urging him onto his back.

Luke swung his legs out from under him as they shifted on the hard mattress. He lay back, watching as she straddled his hips, and then lowered his head, hitting it hard on the footboard.

"Agh!"

"Oh!" Lorelai shimmied backwards, pulling on his hips to get him to move up on the bed. "There. Better?" she asked as she rose up over his hips again.

Luke scowled as he pressed his smarting head into the too firm mattress. "Not much."

Lorelai laughed as she lowered herself onto him. "I may need kneepads," she whispered with a slight smile.

Luke rolled his eyes and then closed them, exhaling his relief as he found his way back home. Lorelai began to ride him, gaining speed and momentum with each thrust. She watched as he wet his lips, his hips rising up from the bed to meet her stroke for stroke as he filled his hands with her breasts once more.

Lorelai increased the tempo, riding him faster as he teased her nipples. She winced slightly and then muttered, "I wasn't kidding about the knee pads."

Luke laughed breathlessly as his hands slid to her back and he pulled her down on top of him. Pushing on her hips, he thrust up into her, closing his eyes as he tried to hit just the right tempo. Just when she began to make those soft little noises at the back of her throat, he opened his eyes and blinked twice to clear them.

"Oh my god," he whispered.

"I know, come on, baby," she panted in his ear.

"They are watching us," he said hoarsely.

"What?"

"They're staring at us," he complained as he stilled.

"No, no they aren't," Lorelai said desperately, wriggling against him as she fought to keep hold of that perfect spot.

"My grandmother's angels are watching us have sex in her bed," he groaned, flinging one hand up to cover his eyes.

"Okay, okay," Lorelai panted as she pushed up off of him. "We'll cover them up," she said as she scrambled from the bed.

"What?"

"Get up. Throw the bedspread over them," she said as she tugged on his hand with all her might, pulling him to the side of the bed.

"Oh," Luke said, his eyes widening. He swung his legs from the bed and then pulled the bedspread up from the bottom, draping it over the headboard.

When he stood back to survey his work, Lorelai nodded and said reassuringly, "Good, right? We're good."

"This is ridiculous," he grumbled.

"No, no! Look at me! Look at me wearing your shirt," she said desperately. Lorelai pulled on his hand, placing it on her breast as she whispered, "I'm not scared. Not of it, not of them."

Luke chuckled and shook his head, his fingers closing reflexively over the soft mound. "You should be scared of them," he mumbled.

"I'm not." With that, Lorelai placed both hands on his chest and pushed him back down onto the bed.

Luke grunted as he fell a little too far on a mattress that was way too hard. "Stupid, creepy angels," he muttered as she climbed on top of him once more.

"Eyes on me," she ordered.

"I'm sorry," he rasped as she took him in hand once more, stroking him lightly to coax him back to maximum strength.

"I want you," she replied.

Luke snorted softly as she guided him back to her entrance and then shook his head. "Let me, uh, here," he said as he tumbled her onto her back and repositioned himself between her legs. "Okay?"

"Perfect," Lorelai said as she pulled him to her.

Luke sank into her heat once more, and then leaned down to kiss her softly. "Sure you're not scared?" he asked with a wry smile.

"Not at all," she assured him, and then they began to move.

Luke gave her a breathless smile as he moved faster, pushing into her harder and deeper. Lorelai returned his smile as a slight giggle that bubbled up from inside of her. Luke ducked his head, the smile creasing his face as he tried desperately to recapture the moment. And then Lorelai burst out laughing, fits of it erupting from her as he slowed once more and pressed his forehead to her shoulder.

"I give up."

"We could go do it on the couch," she offered.

"Maybe tomorrow," he grumbled as she continued to shudder and shake beneath him.

"The room is beautiful," she choked out as she tried to get a hold on her laughter.

"The furniture is just damn creepy," he growled. "I can't believe you said you liked it."

Lorelai laughed harder as she hugged him tightly. "I have no recollection of ever coming to your storage unit, and if I said this stuff was nice, I was lying to be polite."

Luke shook his head as he lifted it to gaze down into her sparkling eyes. "I'm sorry," he said roughly.

"I'm crazy about you," she answered.

"Damn good thing."

"Yes, it is."

Luke pushed himself up, and then flopped over onto his back next to her, covering his eyes with the crook of his elbow. "Wanna sleep at my place?" he asked at last.

"Dear God, yes," Lorelai returned with a grin.

"I'll get it out of here tomorrow," he promised. "We'll go shopping."

Lorelai beamed as she rolled over and curled into his side. "I'll go, you hate shopping."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"No problem. You want me to get you a plant?" she teased.

"Yes, please," he answered promptly, giving her hair a playful tug.

"You need to move more of your clothes in. I can't promise that space will still be there if you let it go too long," she told him sternly.

"I'll move more stuff in after I get this stuff out."

"Good," she said as she snuggled into the crook of his neck. "Don't forget your soap on a rope."

"I won't," he vowed. He gave her bottom a soft pat and then sighed. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Lorelai scooted off of the bed, and smiled as she helped him off of the low mattress. "Come here," she said as she pulled him over to the dresser.

"What?" Luke frowned as she took his arms and turned him toward the mirror.

Lorelai's laughter stirred again as she stood next to him and pointed to the wavy glass. "That's us naked," she giggled.

"Ah, geez," Luke groaned as he turned away. When he looked down into her smiling face; he knew that the battle was lost. He pulled her close to him, shielding his body from view with hers as he joined in with her laughter, and hoped that his better angels would win out.


	34. Lost: Mind Found: Well, It’s not…

**A/N: First, I apologize for the delay on Packaged Goods. I seem to have hit a block, but I do intend to come back to it. In the meantime, here's a little something to keep you entertained. Enjoy!**

**Lost: Mind **

**Found: Well, It's not Collectible Plates…**

_A big, pretty dish of lovin' with a spoon made especially for you._

_We measure the grass before, during, and after mowing to attain a perfect inch and a half height, which is both pleasing to the eye and good for the grass._

_Never, ever date a guy who owns a single bed. It means he's not open to a commitment._

_They don't wanna think about the proper fabric for an awning or the correct historical color for a building. _

_It says there's no room in this life for anybody but me._

_I'm thinking about purchasing the flower shop next to the diner, but we need to talk about that sign of yours._

_Luke, as long as you're in that apartment, you're gonna have a single bed. Don't you want the possibility of more? _

_If I buy the building next to that sign, I run the risk of people being so busy trying to figure out if you sell hammers or burgers, that they never notice the nice collectible plate store right next door._

_Come on Luke, it's time. Make a move, take a shot…_

_It's people like you who keep this town from becoming one of great towns in America, Luke._

_Entertain the possibility of a non-unabomber existence. What do you say?_

****

"Gah!" Luke growled as he shook his head violently and then looked down at his hand. He stared in disbelief at the hot fudge drizzled cone of death with spoon jutting out of it and then hurled it into the nearest trash can with a force the poor waffle cone could not withstand. Turning on his heel, he headed for the bank. "You want me to take a chance, fine, you got it," he muttered under his breath as he yanked open the glass door.

He marched over to the business banking desk and glowered down at poor Melvin Thompson. The startled man looked up from his neatly ordered paperwork with trepidation as Luke planted both palms on his desk and leaned down. "I wanna buy a building," he announced and then dropped into the chair across from the desk, planting himself there until the deal was done.

****

Lorelai was still stewing over her confrontation with Jess when she heard an insistent knock on the back door. She opened it to find Luke standing on the other side, his chest heaving with exertion. "I just spent a hundred thousand dollars and it's all your fault!" he accused, jabbing a finger in her direction.

"Oh, good," she said with a bewildered laugh as she stepped back to let him in.

"I ran into Taylor at the market, and I found out he owns the building that apartment was in," he said angrily, clearly already mid-rant in his head.

"No way," Lorelai breathed as she sank into a chair.

"That and several others all over town."

"That is so weird."

Luke turned to glare at her. "He's systematically buying up the town. He's gonna turn it into Taylorville where everyone'll wear cardigans and have the same grass height!"

"Luke, do you wanna sit down?" she asked, striving for a calm tone because the vein popping out in his forehead was beginning to concern her a bit more than usual.

"And then, he told me he's gonna buy the building next to the diner, turn it into a plate shop for freaks who don't have enough brain power to collect stamps! I lost it," he admitted, throwing his arms out in frustration.

"Uh, I can't picture that," she mumbled, trying to hide a snicker.

"I walked around in a blind rage. I was crazy! I bought one of those Belgian waffles with the ice cream dipped in chocolate!"

Lorelai reared back in shock. "You ate that?"

"No, I didn't eat it!" he answered derisively.

"Of course not."

"I'm upset, not suicidal."

"Right."

"I knew I just had to do something, and I had your voice going round and round in my head!" he said angrily.

"Yeah, it's kinda like the Small World song," Lorelai admitted with a smirk.

"Take a chance, Luke! Make a move, Luke! Can't have a single bed, Luke!" he mocked her and himself all in one fell swoop. Luke turned and stared down at her, pinning her to her seat with the intensity of his glare. "You'd be amazed if you knew what I could do in a single bed!" he shouted, pointing his finger at her.

"Oh, um, okay," Lorelai stammered. She gaped at him, wondering if he was even aware of the words tumbling from his mouth.

"Never a complaint, Lorelai!" he insisted. "Usually, it's the opposite, if you know what I mean."

Lorelai blinked and then whispered, "I believe you."

"But you! You're in there," he raved as he gestured to his head. "You're always in there like some kind of a deranged cricket, chirping, chirping, chirping!"

"Jiminy Cricket," she supplied helpfully.

"So I took a chance. I bought the building!" he announced, switching gears too quickly even for her.

"You… You what?" Lorelai gasped.

"I went to the bank and got a cashier's check, signed the papers and I bought the building," he answered with a decisive nod.

"Wow," Lorelai whispered, gazing up at this strange decisive, demanding Luke in awe.

"I am the building's owner," he stated firmly.

"I heard."

Luke stared down at her for a minute, trying to decide if it was going to be enough for him to just look or if now was the time that he should leap. "What the hell, right?" he asked himself.

"Right," Lorelai answered with a perplexed frown. "Do you, uh, want some tea?" she asked as she stood up and moved to the stove.

Luke's eyes followed her as he shook his head. "No, I don't want tea," he said in a low, dangerous voice.

Lorelai froze as a shiver ran down her spine and her senses switched to defcon red. "No?"

Luke reached out and took her arm. "I took the chance, now I'm making my move," he said gruffly as he pulled her to him. Lorelai's lips parted in shock as she stared him, dumbfounded. "This is your chance, Lorelai," he said as he reached up to cup her cheek, pushing her hair back from her face.

"My chance for what?"

"To run away," he answered, his fingertips brushing lightly over her soft skin.

She hesitated for just a moment too long. Her breathed whooshed from her lungs as his lips brushed hers lightly, like a warning shot across the bow.

"Luke," she whispered.

"I own the building," he said softly. He captured her lips once more, sandwiching her full lower lips between his, an aching groan escaping him as he tasted her.

Unbidden, her mouth clung to his as he pulled back a faction of an inch, his warm breath washing over her mouth, her lips moist from his kiss. "Okay, well, don't worry, maybe you can still get out of it. You can go back and tell them you lost your mind," she murmured. She pressed her hands to his shoulders to steady herself, and then tipped her head back, inviting another tantalizing kiss.

"Okay." Luke kissed her again, pulling her more firmly against his taut body as his lips glided over hers and his hands moved to span her narrow waist.

They parted, breathless. Lorelai dropped her gaze, staring intently at the collar the dark grey t-shirt just below his bobbing adam's apple. She leaned in, scrapping her teeth lightly over the knot in his throat. "Or, I bet you can sell it to Taylor," she said softly.

Luke reached up, burying his fingers in her hair as he tipped her head back into his palm. "Yeah."

Lorelai looked up at him questioningly. "So, relax, you can still get out of this," she told him.

"Okay," he replied slowly, wondering if she was putting on the stops.

"Unless you don't wanna get out of it," she said as her fingers trailed down to the first button on the worn blue flannel he wore.

Luke blinked slowly, his eyes locked on hers as he said, "I don't wanna get out of this."

With that, he lowered his lips to hers, gathering her tightly in his arms as he kissed her hard and hot. Lorelai moaned, her lips parting under his in invitation. Her tongue tentatively touched his lower lip, and then the tattered shreds of Luke's control snapped. His fingers tightened in her hair as his tongue sought hers, circling it possessively as he pushed her back against the counter. Lorelai pushed at his chest, her hands scrambling to rid him of the ancient army jacket he wore. She worked it over his shoulders and then grunted in frustration as she pulled back. Luke leaned forward, unwilling to relinquish her lips, but she shook her head slowly.

"You have lost your mind," she whispered.

"I must have, all I hear is you," he answered in a raspy voice.

Lorelai stared at him for a moment, and then gave in to the warmth that coursed through her. She pushed his hat from his head as she pulled him back down to kiss her again. Her fingers tangled in his soft hair as his tongue tangled with hers. She whimpered softly, shifting as the counter bit into her back, her body pinned between the solid surface and what seemed to be a very hard place.

Luke's fingers trailed from her hair to her neck, pushing her turtleneck down and stroking the soft skin with the very tips. He traced the long, slender lines with the rough palm of his hand pushing the annoying sweater down in his quest to caress her skin.

"Oh my god," Lorelai panted as she gasped for air.

"This is probably worse than the waffle thing," Luke murmured as he moved to kiss the tender skin his hand had just unveiled. He pressed his open mouth to the throbbing pulse in her throat and sucked gently on the creamy white flesh.

"I believe you, I believe you," Lorelai panted as she ran her hands frantically through his hair.

"What?"

"The bed," she gasped. "I believe you about the bed."

"I want you in my bed," he growled, peppering her neck and throat with hot, wet kisses.

"Oh yes," Lorelai breathed as she relinquished his rumpled hair and once again began to push the jacket from his shoulders. "Take a chance, Luke," she urged him as she arched her back, pressing her breasts into the solid wall of his chest.

Luke took the chance, running his hand up over her ribs, his thumb pushing between their bodies as he cupped her breast and then squeezed her roughly, rasping the ribbed knit of her sweater against the tight bud beneath it. His fingers trailed reluctantly from the soft mound as he lowered is arms at her insistence and stepped back, letting her push his coat from his arms. She wrapped her hands around his biceps as the heavy jacket fell to the worn linoleum on the kitchen floor and pulled him back to her.

Lorelai circled her hips slowly, giving his muscled arms a squeeze as she looked at him brazenly. She wet her parted lips with the tip of her tongue and then whispered, "Make a move, Luke."

Luke slipped his hand under the hem of her sweater, his eyes locked on hers as he waited for any sign of hesitation. When her gaze didn't flicker, he leaned in and kissed her passionately. His hands gripped her waist, urging her up onto the counter, and Lorelai lowered her hands as their lips parted. She pushed up, helping him lift her up onto it, and then grasped his wrists, moving his hands up under her sweater. Her skirt rode up as she parted her legs, urging him closer with her heels pressed into the backs of his thighs.

"I've got it," he grumbled as he claimed her lips once more, moving both hands up over her stomach to her breasts.

He slipped up under her bra, pushing the wired satin up over her breasts and then palmed them, massaging them gently before pinching her taut nipples and rolling them between his fingers. Lorelai tore her mouth from his, letting her head fall back against the cabinet with a 'thud' as she pushed into his hands.

"To hell with the bed, it's too small," she panted as she raked her nails down over his flannel clad chest.

"You have a bigger one," Luke answered as he pushed her sweater up to reveal her breasts.

His lips closed around one tightly furled peak, Lorelai moaned as reached behind her back, fumbling to open the clasp of her bunched up bra, but then gave up. "Too far," she said breathlessly. She reached for the waistband of his pants, impatiently pushing his shirt up until she found the buckle on his belt. "Right here, right now. "

"We're in the kitchen," he reminded her as he moved to claim her other nipple.

Lorelai opened his belt. "I don't care, I don't care," she murmured as she shook her head back and forth against the cabinet.

"We have lost our minds," Luke said, pulling away as she lowered his zipper.

Lorelai lifted her head and looked down at him. "This is your chance. Take the chance, Luke. Take me," she said softly, her voice trailing off as she held his gaze.

Luke stroked the bare skin of her thighs, his eyes never leaving hers as he pushed her skirt up a little higher, testing her resolve. Lorelai quirked an eyebrow at him as she pushed her palms into the counter and raised up slightly.

Luke groaned, and quickly pushed her skirt up over the curve of her bottom, exposing a pair of skimpy bright red panties. He hooked his fingers into the elastic and tugged, signaling her to lift up again, before he yanked them down over her hips.

"There's no getting out of this," eh warned her gruffly.

"Why would I wanna get out of this?" she asked as she fumbled with the waistband of his jeans once more.

"Because it's completely insane? Not to mention unsanitary," he muttered as he helped her push his jeans and underwear down.

Lorelai looked down, her lips curving into a pleased smile as she saw his erection jutting out from under the tail of his shirt. She wrapped her fingers around his stiff shaft and stroked him lightly. "I promise, next time you can show me how good you are in that teeny tiny bed."

Emboldened by her words, and enflamed by her gentle caress, Luke pressed his hands to her thighs, parting her legs wider as he worked his way up. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gain control over the desperate need to plunge into her. Instead, he tangled his fingers in the tight curls that covered her sex, the pad of one finger grazing the sensitive pink flesh that peeked out from the dense curls. Lorelai gasped and then moaned as she wriggled to the edge of the counter, pressing against his questing fingers.

Luke grasped her wrist with his other hand, pulling her hand away from his pulsing cock as he bent at the waist and pressed his open mouth to the mound of her sex.

"Oh," Lorelai moaned, drawing the word out as the breath seeped from her lungs.

"Oh, yes," he answered in a deep, husky voice. Luke inhaled deeply, drawing in the scent of her arousal before brushing his tongue lightly over her clit.

"We don't have much time," she warned softly.

"Don't need much," Luke replied.

He pressed his tongue to her more insistently, and Lorelai pressed her hands to the countertop to brace herself. Her fingers curled around the edge as he drew her into his mouth, sucking the bundle of sensitive skin into his hot mouth. Fueled by her moans of approval, Luke pressed his mouth against her, licking, sucking and lapping her slick folds greedily as Lorelai threw her head back, hitting the cabinet behind her hard.

Luke raised his head and asked, "You okay?"

"Stop and I'll kill you," she answered promptly.

He chuckled and then returned to his task, tempering his ministrations with the certain knowledge that he had her just where he wanted her. When her breath hitched and her whispered murmurs of encouragement became more frantic, he pulled away, ignoring her frustrated grunts and grasping hands.

Luke yanked the turtleneck of her sweater back down and pressed his lips to her neck, scraping his teeth over the delicate skin before laving it with his talented tongue. "I want you," he murmured against her ear.

"Please, oh please," she said raggedly.

Luke held her hips firmly in his hands, pulling her to the every edge of the counter and groaning his almost painful need as his cock brushed against her damp curls. "Open your eyes," he implored.

Lorelai opened her eyes, blinking away the heavy haze of desire that clouded her vision as she focused on him. She wrapped her fingers around his cock once more, stroking him hard and fast as she wet her lips and guided him to her.

"Jesus, Lorelai," Luke said in a strangled voice as he pushed up into her heat.

"Take a chance, Luke. Make a move," she whispered as she raised one hand to caress his shadowed cheek.

And so, he began to move. Luke tried desperately to detach his brain from his body, his mind wanting to absorb every detail of this moment, but helpless against the shockwaves of sensation her tight walls were sending through his body as they pulsed around him.

He lowered his head, watching as he pushed into her again, his throat going dry as he pulled back and saw his cock slick with her juices. He thrust harder, her answering moan of pleasure arrowing straight through to his gut. He moved faster, gliding into her wet heat as he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying desperately to fight back the urge to pump harder and harder until he filled her. His eyes popped open as she gasped his name and he felt a fresh surge of heat as her walls filled and tightened around him. His raspy breathing filled the room as she cried out with her release. He thrust into her faster, his fingers flexing and then curling into her hip as he released his grip on his self control, pushing into her as he came hard and hot.

"Lorelai," he croaked as he nuzzled the knit fabric at her neck, grunting in frustration as he tried to push it aside with his nose and chin.

She laughed breathlessly and then reached up, pulling the neckline down so that he could have the soft skin he so obviously craved. "Wow," she whispered as he sucked gently on her neck, and then showered her with soft, tender kisses.

"Yeah."

Lorelai ran her hand over his hair, smoothing the wild tufts back into place, and then cradling the nape of his neck in her palm while they fought to regulate their breathing.

"So, you bought a building," she whispered at last, but failed to choke back the giddy laugh that bubbled from her throat.

Luke gave her a wispy chuckle. "Your fault," he muttered as he lifted his head to look at her.

"Maybe you can still get out of this. That is if you want to get out of this," she said softly.

Luke's brow puckered. "The building or this?" he asked bluntly.

Lorelai smiled and said, "The building. I think it may be too late to get out of this, this."

"Well, I want to get out of that, but I don't want to get out of this, so I wasn't sure…" he trailed off, looking into her bright blue eyes earnestly.

Lorelai smiled as she smoothed the hair back over his ear. "Oh, okay, well, owning that building gives you some options," she said with a thoughtful frown.

"Like?"

"Uh, like you could expand Luke's if you wanted to."

"Yeah."

"Or, you could rent it to someone else," she suggested.

"Yeah," he agreed, knowing that at this very moment, he couldn't have given a damn about that building if he tried.

Lorelai grinned impishly. "Someone else who might drive Taylor crazy."

"Uh uh. No talking about Taylor when we're like this," he said quickly.

"Sorry," Lorelai replied, her laugh making it clear that she wasn't really.

Luke sighed as he bent his knees slightly and drew away from her. Lorelai made a soft weeping sound as their bodies parted, but then wrapped her arms tightly around him as he stepped back between her knees. He pressed his forehead to hers and sighed heavily. "Maybe I should think about this," he said gruffly.

"Sure, sleep on it," she answered supportively.

"Sleep on it, right, right," he murmured as he pressed his lips lightly to hers. He reached up and pulled her hand down to his lips, kissing her palm tenderly. "You mean the building, right? I don't need to sleep on this," he said as he gave her hand an squeeze.

"No?"

"I mean, I'd like to sleep on this. With this. With you," he stammered, trying to make is point clear, but failing miserably.

"I get it," she whispered as she kissed his softly.

"Good."

Lorelai smiled and then glanced down, a blush heating her cheeks as she surveyed their disheveled clothing. "We should, uh," she said as she reached for her bra and yanked it down into place with a slight grimace.

"Oh. Yeah," Luke grunted as he pulled her black sweater down, and then reached for his jeans and boxers. He jumped slightly as he pulled them up, carefully tucking himself back into the safer confines. Leaving his jeans undone, Luke reached to help her down from the counter, holding her firmly as she swayed on unsteady legs.

Lorelai giggled, but then both of their heads whipped around as they heard the front door open.

"Rory," Lorelai hissed as she yanked her skirt down and bent to scoop up her panties and his hat and coat. "Sir," she ordered as she shoved his jacket and hat at him.

Luke moved quickly to the chair that she had vacated earlier, as Lorelai dropped her panties into the seat of another chair and then quickly sat down on top of them. He draped his coat over his still open jeans and jammed the hat down on his head. Then he sat still as a statue, gripping his hands tightly on the tabletop as Rory entered the kitchen.

"Hi Mom, hi Luke," she said in a chipper tone as she breezed into her room.

"Hi," Luke squeaked, and then quickly cleared his throat. "Hey, Rory," he said as his voice dropped down an octave into a more normal range.

"What are you guys up to?" Rory called as she shuffled through a stack of CDs.

"Um, nothing," Lorelai answered too quickly. When Rory emerged holding two jewel cases and a large book, she shrugged and said, "Talking real estate."

"Ah, fun," Rory replied with a nod as she stashed the CDs in a hole cut into the pages in the center of the book.

"Yeah, it is," Lorelai said as she flashed Luke a cheeky grin.

Rory looked up and said, "Oh. Well, okay. I'm gonna run these back to Lane's."

"Okay," Lorelai answered too brightly.

"Okay," Rory repeated with a puzzled frown. "See you later, Luke," she said as she turned to leave.

"See ya, Rory," Luke answered as he knotted his fingers together so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

The moment the front door closed, he pressed his hand to his heart. "Geez, that was close."

Lorelai shifted in her seat and pulled her panties out from under her. As she reached under the table to pull them on, she ginned and said, "Easy, Mr. Trump, or maybe I could call you The Donald now."

"No," Luke said gruffly as he hurriedly zipped and buttoned his jeans.

"No?" Lorelai asked teasingly.

"No, definitely not," he told her as he buckled his belt. Luke sighed and then leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table and burying his face in his hands. "What a day," he mumbled.

Lorelai smiled affectionately as she stood up and patted his shoulder. "You want some tea?"

Luke raised his head and looked up at her, a small smile tugging at his lips as he nodded. "Tea's good, sure."

"Better than the waffle thingy, but not as good as some other things," she answered as she leaned down and pecked a soft kiss to his lips.

"Definitely not as good as other things," Luke agreed wholeheartedly. He pulled her down into his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around her as he buried his face in her neck. "But there's nothing good about turtleneck sweaters," he grumbled.

"I'll remember that," Lorelai said as she kissed the top of his bright blue hat. "Snuffy," she added with a grin.


	35. For Whom the Bells Toll

**For Whom the Bells Toll**

_Ah, rum and Coke, the great equalizer_, Lorelai thought as she stood poised in Rory's doorway staring down at her mother sprawled across the twin bed.

She stepped quietly into the room and gently removed the package of penis shaped pasta from Emily's clutches, and then backed away quickly. A satisfied smirk curving her lips, Lorelai tossed the pasta onto the kitchen table as she passed, watching it nestle snugly against the wedding planner her mother had so foolishly brought into her house. Lorelai did a quick lap of the living room, picking up plastic cups, decimated bowls of snack foods, and finally, covering Babette with a worn old afghan in case she got chilly during the night.

Juggling the cups and bowls in her arms, she smiled when she noticed the time on the DVD player. _Only eleven-thirty. That's one of the perks of turning the Captain loose when mixing drinks, _she thought, stifling a giggle_. _

Lorelai paused at the foot of the stairs, listening closely to hear if Rory was still moving about, but all was quiet. As she carried her load to the trash, she spied Emily's spectator pump clad feet dangling over the edge of Rory's narrow bed, and sighed. She set the collected detritus down on the counter and went back into the bedroom; carefully removing her mother's shoes before setting Rory's alarm clock for an obscenely early time, so as to allow Emily a dignified escape.

As she tiptoed from the room, Emily rolled onto her back and murmured, "Perfect. Everything has to be perfect."

Lorelai froze in the doorway, her spine stiffening as she turned to glance back at her mother. The momentary pang of guilt she had felt about rearranging the seating assignments fled as she spied Emily's lips drawn into an all-too-familiar line of determination, even in sleep.

"What a disappointment I must be, huh?" Lorelai whispered as she stepped from the room and pulled the door firmly closed behind her.

Agitated, she quickly dumped the remains of the rum and cokes down the sink, and filled the trash can with cups and the crumbs of what was supposed to be a movie night feast, turned into a bachelorette party free for all. With a disgusted grunt, she yanked the overflowing bag from the can and carried it to the back porch. She toyed with the idea of leaving it there until morning, but decided that she wouldn't want to deal with the resulting mess if a neighborhood dog, cat or raccoon happened upon this treasure trove of tater tot heaven. She hoisted the bag once more and wove her way down the rickety back steps, giggling to herself as she stumbled on the last one.

"That was a doozy," she muttered under her breath. Listing slightly to the right, Lorelai managed to make it to the trash cans, and stuffed the bag into one, replacing the lid with a satisfied nod that was a tad to emphatic for her compromised equilibrium. She stepped back to catch herself and automatically glanced around the deserted yard to see if anyone had borne witness to her tipsy tripping. That's when she noticed that the lights in the garage were still on.

Cocking her head curiously, she crossed the yard; knowing that Luke would never have left the lights on and the garage containing his father's boat unsecured. At least, as secured as a garage holding a boat three feet too long for it could be. As she neared, she heard the rasp of sandpaper on wood, and the soft grunts of elbow grease that acted as a metronome for his efforts. She smiled as she rounded the open doorway and spotted Luke stripped down to his sweat stained t-shirt, and mumbling under his breath as he hand-sanded a spot on the rail.

"Hey, it's late," she said softly, trying not to startle him too badly.

Luke jumped, the sandpaper fluttering to the garage floor as he whirled to face her. "Oh, sorry, yeah. I got on a roll and I didn't want to stop," he explained.

Lorelai's lips curved into a predatory smile as she stepped into the garage. "God no. There's nothing better than when you get on a roll," she said with a soft chuckle.

"I, uh, I put the power tools up. I didn't want to disturb you," he said as he gestured to the accumulation of man toys that had been slowly but surely making their way into her garage.

"You don't need 'em," Lorelai answered as she began to walk slowly toward him, stalking her prey.

Luke took an involuntary step back when he saw the gleam in her eye. "How was your party?" he asked nervously.

"Mercifully short and blessedly rum laden," Lorelai answered as she drew to a stop just in front of him. She out, running her hands appreciatively over his snug t-shirt clad chest. "You're hot."

"Well, it got a little warm as I was working," Luke said gruffly. He glanced down, watching her hands roam possessively over his chest.

"I like you hot. Sweaty. All rippling muscles and manly," she purred as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his scruffy neck.

Luke chuckled. "Are you drunk?"

"Survival of the fittest," she whispered as her lips traveled over his skin to claim his earlobe. She bit it gently, and the laved the soft skin with her tongue. "I'm so happy you're still here," she said softly as she wound her arms tightly around his neck and pressed her body the length of his.

Luke laughed low and deep as he reached up to try to disentangle himself from her arms. "Yeah, well, we should probably both be in bed."

"Excellent idea. Take me home with you," she whispered in what she hoped was a seductive tone, and not a mangled slur.

An strangled groan rumbled in his throat, and he felt himself harden as Lorelai moved against him sinuously. "Rory…" he croaked helplessly.

"Is in my bed," she finished, nipping at his jaw and letting her teeth scrape over the rough stubble.

"Why?"

"My mother is in hers."

"Your mother is still here?" he asked as he tried to step back without any success.

"Passed out cold. I introduced her to Captain Morgan, and they had a torrid affair," Lorelai explained as her soft lips grazed his cheek, seeking his mouth.

"Lorelai, we can't…" Luke managed to whisper before she claimed his lips with her own.

Lorelai pulled back slightly, her lips still resting against his as she whispered, "Oh, I want you."

"I can't take you home with me. You'll pass out and Rory and your mother will wake up and panic, and I'll have to explain," he protested weakly.

"Fine, take me here," Lorelai answered. She kissed him hard and hot, knocking his hat to the dusty garage floor in her urgency to get closer to him. "Take me for a ride in your boat, Luke," she said in a soft, sensual whisper as she pulled away.

Luke lifted one dust covered hand to her hair, and then hesitated before touching her. "I'm all dirty."

"I know," she answered with a grin. "Do dirty things to me."

"It's the middle of winter, your mother's inside," he reminded her.

"You make me hot. That makes me hot. Take me on your boat. Pirate me away from centerpieces, and cake, and crack puppies," she whispered as she peppered his neck and throat with warm, open-mouthed kisses. "I need you."

Luke felt his resolve crumbling, under the lush pressure of her lips and the weight of the ache he heard in her voice. He dared to run his dusty hand over her dark hair, marveling at how soft it felt after hours of caressing nothing but worn wood. "I want you too," he assured her in a deep throaty voice. "Tomorrow night, I'll take you home with me, I promise."

"Yes, you will. And tonight, you'll take me here," she said, her voice filled with rum-soaked bravado. Her hands slipped down between their bodies and her fingers closed over his belt buckle. "Or I'll take you."

"Ah, geez," he muttered as he felt her fumble with his belt.

Luke tipped her head up and covered her mouth with his, groaning as her lips parted in blatant invitation. His tongue swirled around hers, and she moaned softly into his mouth as she slowly worked his zipper down. His fingers tightened in her hair, pressing into her scalp as he tore his mouth from hers and stumbled back against the boat. "This is all kids of wrong," he said breathlessly as she reached into his pants and wrapped her fingers around his stiff shaft. "We're in the garage. It's February. You're drunk. It isn't right," he said, trying to convince himself to put the brakes on while he still could.

"You and me, we're always right," Lorelai countered, looking him straight in the eye as she stroked him slowly and deliberately.

"Yeah," he capitulated as he closed his eyes, surrendering to the feel of her soft hand on his hard flesh.

Lorelai released her hold on him and began to clumsily work his jeans and boxers down over his narrow hips. "Tomorrow, we'll be perfect. You'll look so handsome in your suit. Just like when you asked me to dance with you," she said softly. "I remember dancing with you."

Luke couldn't help but chuckle as he opened his eyes. "Good."

"I couldn't believe it. It was you," she said in a voice filled with wonder. She abandoned her quest to free him from his jeans and slid her hands up over his chest. Lorelai wound her fingers into the soft curls at the nape of his neck and pulled him closer. "It was you all along," she whispered as she kissed his lips tenderly.

"It was always you," he answered hoarsely.

Lorelai kissed his sweetly and then pulled away, her hands falling back down to the waistband of his jeans. She ran her fingers teasingly under the elastic of his boxers as she glanced down. "Tomorrow, we'll be perfect. Tonight, I just want us to be us, as imperfect as two people can possibly be," she whispered.

Luke chuckled, thinking she meant their clandestine location, and the highly inappropriate things that were surely about to happen. "Well, we can definitely handle that," he assured her as he threaded his hands through her hair, leaving streaks of sawdust in his wake.

With a quick nod, Lorelai pushed his jeans and shorts down roughly, smiling with satisfaction as his erection sprang free. She sank to her knees on the dust covered floor and looked up at him boldly as she let warm breath tickled his heated flesh. "I'll keep you warm," she promised solemnly and then closed her lips around the very tip of him.

"Jesus, Lorelai," he groaned, his hands fisting in her hair as his head fell back. The crisp winter air cooled his skin, only to be chased away by the velvety heat of her lips and tongue. She pulled him deeper with each caress of her lips, tugging him into her mouth hungrily. Luke's body surged as his knees quaked and threatened to buckle beneath him. "So good, you feel so good," he murmured as he wound her hair around his hand.

Lorelai moaned her thanks and drew him deeper still, sucking him hard as her cheeks hollowed. She felt him ripple against her tongue, she braced her hands on his hips, stilling their jerky movements, and insisting on complete control.

Luke squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back the urge to fill her immediately, desperately needing this to last longer, unwilling to let the exquisite torture end far too soon. The words he knew she needed tumbled from his lips, rough and raw.

"Oh god, Lorelai. Amazing. You feel, guh, amazing," he whispered. He felt her lips tighten around him in response as she began to move faster, his cock gliding against her tongue. "I wanna be inside you. So deep inside you," he growled as his pressed his fingers into her scalp, pulling her closer even as he knew he should push her away.

Lorelai whimpered softly, refusing to relinquish her hold on him even as she felt the heat rush to the very core of her.

"Hot, wet, tight. So tight," he groaned as she sucked him harder. "So deep inside you." With a frustrated grunt, he grasped her head and pushed her away, panting as he looked down at her swollen red lips. "I want you," he whispered raggedly.

Lorelai smiled as he helped to pull her to her feet. "Really? I wasn't sure," she joked.

Luke fingers tore at the button on her jeans. "Yeah, well, I'm subtle," he said gruffly. He yanked her zipper down as she stepped out of her shoes.

Lorelai shivered as her sock clad feet found purchase of the cold, dusty concrete floor. "So subtle."

Luke pushed her jeans and panties down, his hands gliding over her ass and giving her a rough squeeze as they passed. "You make me crazy."

"Good crazy. Crazy good," Lorelai said smugly as he bent to pull the fabric from one leg and then abandoned them altogether. She laughed as he turned to push her up against the old wooden boat. Her jeans tangled around their feet and making them stumble a bit. "Touch me," she said tauntingly.

Luke glanced down at his work roughed and stained hands and scowled. "I can't. I've been doing stuff, wood, chemicals, it wouldn't be good," he murmured, his disappointment evident in his voice.

"Touch me," Lorelai said as she grasped his wrists and pulled them to her breasts. She moaned as his fingers closed reflexively over them. His thumbs teased her hardened nipples through her shirt, and she slid one hand down over her stomach to tangle in the dark curls between her legs.

Luke groaned as his eyes followed the path of her hand. He slipped his hands under her shirt and pinched her taut nipples between his fingers as he watched her stroke her clit. He wet his dry lips with the tip of his tongue and asked in a gravelly voice, "Wet?"

"So wet," Lorelai answered, looking straight at his bowed head, watching him watch her. "Taste?" she asked innocently as she raised her damp fingers to his lips.

Lorelai smiled, letting her head tip back as his lips closed over her fingertips, drawing three of them into his mouth greedily. She reached for his cock with her free hand and began to stroke him, matching the pull of his mouth. She pulled her fingers from his lips and lowered them again, thrusting her wet middle finger into herself as Luke watched in rapt fascination.

She brought that finger back up to his lips, and traced the outline of them with the slick tip. "You said you wanted to be inside of me," she reminded him in a soft, tantalizing whisper.

Luke drew her finger into his mouth and sucked ardently, his eyes locked on hers as he reached for her bare thigh and hiked her leg up onto his hip. Lorelai smiled, her fingertips toying with his mouth as he bent his knees and positioned himself at her entrance.

"Take me," she whispered, pressing the pad of her middle finger to his bottom lip.

Luke pushed into her, groaning as he sank into her warm, welcoming heat, and sucking that teasing finger deep into his mouth. Lorelai moaned as he thrust up into her, his tongue curving around her finger as she began to move it in and out of his mouth. He grasped her ass with both hands, lifting her higher as he moved faster, urgently needing to bury himself in her as far as he could go.

Lorelai pressed back into the boat, using it as leverage as she moved against him, relishing the hard grind of the base of his cock against her, but quickly growing impatient with the angle. She pulled her wet finger from his mouth and wriggled her hand between them to circle her clit.

The feel of her hand wedged tightly between them, her fingertips trailing over his cock with each thrust was too much for Luke to bear. He quickened, his breath coming in harsh puffs. "I'm sorry," he rasped against her ear as he felt his climax rocketing through his body.

Lorelai moaned her appreciation as he filled her; hard, bursts of uncontrollable need wracking his body with shudders. She stroked her clit faster as he continued to move inside of her. "Don't stop," she implored.

"No, no," he panted.

"Oh, don't stop," Lorelai begged as she felt her orgasm building, just tantalizingly out of reach.

"Never."

"Oh!" she gasped as the dam burst, and her rum diluted body filled with a rush of pure animal pleasure. She pushed against him, clinging to each wave of sensation he had unleashed, riding them out as she clutched him tightly within her walls.

"Perfect," she murmured as they slowed.

Luke chuckled as he nuzzled the soft skin beneath her ear. "Not really."

"Yes, perfect," she insisted.

"Oh, Lorelai," he whispered, his voice drenched in satisfied tenderness.

He held her there, pinned tightly against his father's boat, his body wrapped snugly in hers, and his arms wound around her narrow frame like bands of corded steel. Gradually, they became aware of the cold, February wind licking at their exposed flesh.

Reluctantly, Luke pulled back to look at her. "We should get you inside," he said gruffly.

"You're gonna look so handsome tomorrow," she whispered.

Luke shook his head and said, "You'll be beautiful. You always are."

With a heavy sigh, he pulled away from her, carefully steadying her on her feet before yanking his pants and boxers up, and ducking down to try to make sense of the tangled mass of her jeans.

Lorelai stood passively as he straightened out the denim and carefully aligned the leg of her panties so that she could step into them. When his fingers closed gently around her ankle, lifting her foot to guide it back into her clothes, she asked softly, "You'll dance with me?"

Luke looked up from where he knelt on the dusty floor, taking in the sight of her half naked and tipsy against the old wooden boat. "You bet," he assured her softly as he pulled her jeans and panties up over her long legs.

"Not just slow dances, fast ones too."

"Now you're pushin' it," he said as he rose up on his knees, grimacing as the hard concrete ground against bone. He pulled her zipper up and carefully maneuvered the button through its hole. "There, that should get you inside," he said as he looked up at her sagging against the side of the boat.

"Shoes," Lorelai murmured with a listless nod of her head.

Luke smiled as he reached for her shoes and helped slip them back onto her feet. He stood up and wrapped one arm around her, kissing her temple as he held her tightly. "Come on. Off to bed you go."

"Always tryin' to get me in bed," Lorelai mumbled as her head fell heavily onto his shoulder.

"Yeah, well, what can I say," he answered with a chuckle.

Luke led her to the front door and then propped her up against the doorframe. He kissed her softly and smiled as she blinked at him blearily. "I can't go in there. Can you make it from here?"

Lorelai favored him with a slow smile and patted him sloppily on his shoulder as she said, "Baby, we can make it anywhere you want."

Luke laughed and shook his head. "I think we just proved that." He kissed her again and then whispered, "Can you make it up the stairs to your room?"

"No problem," she answered as she straightened up, weaving a bit as she threw her shoulders back.

"I'll be here at ten thirty," he promised her.

"With bells on?"

"Probably not, but I'll be here."

"Do not ask for whom the bell tolls," Lorelai intoned gravely. "It tolls for thee and for me."

"Not that kind of bell, I hope," he laughed.

She leaned into him, flattening her palm over his beating heart, and tipping her face up for his kiss as she whispered, "Goodnight, Luke."

Luke kissed her gently, capturing her hand between them and giving it a little squeeze. "Night."

Lorelai smiled as she reached for the door, opening it quietly as she turned to watch him walk down the steps. "Maybe not that kind. Maybe it'll be other bells," she said in one last burst of bravery for the night.

Luke turned back in time to see her slip inside and close the door gently behind her. "Maybe," he murmured, shivering in the cold. "I hope so," he added under his breath. "I really hope so."


	36. Say Goodnight

**A/N: This is not your typical Slip, but the idea has been rattling around in my head for some time. It's not so fluffy, but it definitely is smutty.**

**Say Goodnight**

"_Turn down," Lorelai called. She pressed her ear to the door and heard someone answer, 'Come on in.'_

_Using her pass key, Lorelai stepped into the room with a basket of pillow mints over her arm. "Hello there. This won't take long," she promised. She stopped short when she spotted the man sitting propped up against the headboard. "Luke."_

_Luke lowered the newspaper he was reading and said in an equally stunned tone, "Lorelai."_

"_What are you doing here?"_

"_You invited us, remember?"_

"_Us?" she asked blankly. Her gaze traveling down his bare, muscular chest, dallying a bit along the line of hair that trailed down his stomach, and then came to rest on the red-head kneeling between his taut thighs. "Oh, hey. Hi Nicole. There's the 'us'," she babbled._

_Nicole lifted her head long enough to murmur, "Hi, Lorelai," and then drew Luke's stiff cock back into her mouth._

_Lorelai gaped at the scene in front of her. She heard Nicole moan as she pulled Luke deeper, and then saw her reach down between her legs, stroking herself in time with the ardent pull of her mouth. "I don't usually do this turn down service. I mean, I did when I started many moons ago, but that's when I was a maid. Wow, you guys are here," she said nonsensically, her feet seemingly rooted to the spot._

"_You didn't know?" Luke asked as he folded his newspaper and casually set it aside._

_Lorelai shook her head quickly. "No. I mean, I remember inviting you. It's great that you're here." She found herself riveted as Nicole moaned loudly and Luke reached down, pushing his fingers into her hair and holding her head as he began to thrust up into her, increasing the pace. "Um, but when I told Michel I would do the turn down service, it must've slipped his mind that you were here. Pau-Pau fell in her water dish…" she trailed off as the sounds Nicole was making intensified. _

_Luke bucked up off of the mattress, undoubtedly giving Nicole what she needed, as her moans and whimpers built to a crescendo. As her orgasm hit, she released him with a soft pop, and collapsed in on herself, pressing her cheek to his powerful thigh as she gasped for breath._

"_What?" Luke asked as he sat up._

_Lorelai stared at him, unable to tear her eyes from his pulsing hard cock. "Never mind. I'll just do this and get out of your way."_

_Luke reached for Nicole's arms and pulled her up to straddle his hips. He pushed her down onto his cock, and fell back, watching Lorelai watch them as Nicole stared at a spot above the bed. _

"_I should go," Lorelai said nervously._

"_It's okay," Luke was quick to assure her._

"_It's just, um, people aren't usually using the bed when you do turn down service. Huh. Service," she babbled._

"_Luke," Nicole whined petulantly._

"_Okay," he said as he pushed her up off of him._

"_You know, I'm gonna go," Lorelai said with a decisive nod, but then failed to move from her spot. _

"_Hey, you don't have to," Luke said with a shrug. Propelling the slender woman onto her back, Luke positioned himself on top of her, pulled her thin legs up to his waist as he pushed roughly into her._

"_Let her go, Luke," Nicole said in a softly dangerous voice. Her head hung off the foot of the bed as she looked directly up at Lorelai and said in a smug tone, "Yeah, Lorelai, really, we can do all this."_

_Lorelai bristled at her tone. Instead of leaving, she stared at Luke's ass, cursing Sookie in her head as she watched the tight mounds of muscle rise and fall with each powerful thrust, and she yearned to reach out and touch it. "No, you are our guests and you deserve to get what you're paying for," she insisted, still unable to tear her eyes away._

"_We're not paying," he grunted as he pushed Nicole's legs up higher, grinding into her with each stroke._

_Lorelai's eyes widened. "No, no, but this is where you start paying - in sweat," she tried to joke._

"_What?" he asked breathlessly._

"_Fame, right?" Nicole chimed in, arching her back as she looked straight up at Lorelai._

"_Yeah, Debbie Allen. In sweat. I just loved how she said that," Lorelai mumbled. She gave her head as shake as Nicole began to moan again, her breath hitching in her throat. She shifted slightly under Luke's intense blue gaze, and bit her lip. "Let's see. . .uh, you need towels."_

"_You can just give 'em to me," he answered, lifting one arm from the bed without breaking his rhythm. _

_Lorelai fumbled with the stack of towels in the crook of her arm. "Okay, here are your towels," she said as she handed them to Luke. He placed them on the bed, lowered his arm and began pushing harder. Nicole cried out softly, and he smiled grimly. "And, let me see. . . oh, I'll draw your curtains closed," Lorelai said, but her feet remained glued to the spot where she stood at the foot of the bed. She watched as Nicole climaxed again, her fingernails digging into the soft, supple skin that covered the muscles in Luke's back. "What else, what else? It's been a little while since I've done this," she whispered under her breath. "Oh, do you want a fire?"_

_Luke pulled back, his rigid cock slick and wet, jutting proudly from his body as he rocked back onto his heels and reached to turn Nicole onto her stomach. "I don't know. Nicole?"_

_Nicole rolled over docilely, pushing her elbows into the mattress as she lifted her ass into the air. "Uh, a fire would be nice."_

"_Okay, I'll light it for you," Lorelai said with a decisive nod. _

_She managed to take one step back toward the fireplace, but stopped when Luke grasped Nicole's ass in both of his hands, spreading her open so that he could plunge into her once more. "We have these new log bags now, makes it real easy. Uh, okay," she stammered as Luke began ramming his cock into the skinny lawyer once more. "So, nothing like a fire on a cold night like this, huh?" she said nervously._

"_Mm," Luke hummed in a noncommittal tone. He grasped Nicole's arms and pulled her up, sliding his knees between her legs as he thrust up into her. He pulled her back against the solid wall of his chest, his eyes never leaving Lorelai. "She likes it better when she doesn't have to look at me, right, Nicole?" he asked gruffly as he sank his teeth into the side of Nicole's slender neck._

_An uncomfortable laugh escaped Lorelai's lips. " Hmm, I'm not having much luck here," she murmured, cocking her head as she saw Luke's large hands engulf Nicole's small breasts. "And, uh, you know what, we laid off the person who was able to light these things no problem, now we can't light these things, and ironically we laid him off because of a fire. Laid off," she muttered with an unladylike snort._

"_It's okay, forget it. I can light it," Luke told her. He slid one hand down to the nest of tight curls between Nicole's legs, and began to stroke her clit._

"_Okay. What else, let's see. Oh, um, well, turn down. I need to turn down the bed," Lorelai said as she gestured to the bed._

_Luke shook his head, holding Nicole up against him like a shield. "Really, Lorelai…"_

"_No, no, no. Up, up, up," she insisted. Lorelai licked her lips as Luke sank down onto his heels, his cock slipping free. _

_Nicole scrambled off of the bed, planting her feet wide on the carpet as she leaned over and grasped the bedpost. Her gaze traveled from Luke to Lorelai and then back to Luke as she raised her eyebrows challengingly. Luke followed, pushing up off of the bed and positioned himself behind Nicole to take up where he had left off._

_Lorelai moved quickly to the opposite side of the bed, and the basket on her arm swung forward as she reached for the wrinkled comforter. "Okay, I'll get ya all settled here, nice and comfy. Great lines with these covers here," she said as the mattress shifted against her thighs with each burst of Luke's forward momentum. She picked up a pillow clutched it to her bare breasts as she fluffed it. "And Pillows, nice and plump. And a couple of pillow mints. There you go, now you're all ready to. . .uh, you're all ready for your evening." _

_Lorelai straightened up and glanced down, the basket of pillow mints falling to her feet as she realized that she was completely nude. She looked up, and found Luke's eyes locked on her. She reached up and covered her breasts with her hands, and saw his eyes darken with desire. Lorelai watched Luke's hands flex and then his fingers curled around Nicole's breasts as he murmured, "Fine, good, that's good."_

"_Luke," Lorelai whispered._

"_I wish it was you," he said in a raspy voice. "She knows I wish it was you."_

_A strangled moan seeped from her lips as Lorelai watched his cock slide into Nicole with a powerful thrust. "You do?" she asked breathlessly, one hand roaming down over her flat stomach to nestle in the dark curls between her legs._

"_You know I do," he growled as Nicole groaned loudly, as if trying to drown out the sound of their voices. "She likes me like this. She wants me like this. She wants me."_

_To confirm his statement, Nicole cried out, "Oh yes! Fuck me, Luke, fuck me."_

"_See?" he gasped as he thrust into her faster, his eyes never leaving Lorelai's. _

"_Yeah," Lorelai whispered as her own fingers matched the tempo he set._

_Nicole looked up, and seeing Lorelai's eyes fixed unswervingly on Luke; she came again screaming her triumphant pleasure. "Mine, mine," she panted as she fell forward onto the foot of the bed, pressing her face into the comforter as her fingers clawed at the fabric. "Mine."_

_Luke stood across from Lorelai, oblivious to Nicole as he wrapped his long fingers around the shaft of his cock and began to stroke himself mercilessly. "She knows that I can only get off if I'm thinking about you, but I'm not supposed to think about you."_

_Lorelai moaned as her eyes fell to his stiff cock. She pushed one finger into herself as she confessed, "I think about you."_

"_And I want you. I want you so much it hurts," he said in a hoarse voice._

"_I want you, too," Lorelai answered, her voice sure and steady. She pulled her hand from between her legs and lifted her knee to the edge of the mattress._

_Lorelai scowled in confusion as a wooden chair on casters suddenly appeared on the bed, standing between her and Luke. Nicole peered at her from between the slats on the back of the chair. "Wait, wait. Ten feet," she said adamantly._

"_Ten feet?" Lorelai asked._

"_That's a safe distance," Luke said with a sad smile as he continued to stroke himself, never taking his eyes off of her._

"_Okay, I didn't bring a frickin' tape measure. I'm not good at judging distances. You'll have to help me out with the ten feet thing," Lorelai said, her voice rising in frustration._

"_Well, it's a little bigger than a basketball player. Just keep a really big basketball player between us," Luke answered helpfully._

"_You want me," Lorelai stated firmly. "You want me and I want you," she said as she began to move to the end of the bed._

_Luke followed suit, his hip bumping the bedpost in his haste to get to her. "I do. I want you. God help me, I want you."_

_A loud screech of metal against a tile floor brought them to a halt as they stood at the foot of the bed, a student desk blocking their path to each other. Lorelai looked around wildly, and spotted Max with his hands planted on the writing surface of the desk. "I knew it was him," he said in a hurt tone._

"_No, Max, it wasn't…" Lorelai protested._

"_No, not me. Never me," Luke said gruffly. His eyes bore into her as his hand moved faster, pulling on his cock ruthlessly, desperate for his elusive release. _

"_You know, I thought we were both going to just pretend to ignore the kiss. Wasn't that the deal?" Max implored._

"_Lorelai's great at ignoring things," Luke concurred._

"_I'm not ignoring you!" she cried as she reached for Luke, but couldn't quite get a hold on him._

_Nicole knelt in front of Luke, and gently removed his hand. "It's okay. Pretend I'm her," she coaxed gently. When he looked down at her, and then back up at Lorelai, she drew his cock into her mouth and began to suck him gently. _

_Lorelai's brow furrowed as she stared into Luke's eyes questioningly. "Is this what you want?"_

"_This is what I want," Luke answered unconvincingly._

_Lorelai turned away. She could still feel his eyes on her as she stared at the rumpled bed; half turned down, and now devoid of Max's desk chair. Her head whipped around when she heard a low, deep groan, and found that Max was gone too._

"_You had your shot, okay?" Luke asked, his voice breaking._

"_I did," she conceded softly._

"_Jesus, Nicole," he rasped as he fisted his hands in her short, red hair. His hips jerked as he came, and it was her name that tumbled from his lips, but his eyes stayed unflinchingly on Lorelai. "This is what I want," he insisted._

_Lorelai ducked her head as she nodded, unable to bear his scrutiny for a moment longer. "Okay. I'll abide by your wishes," she said softly._

_Nicole sat back on her heels and ran the back of her hand over her mouth before she turned to Lorelai with a wide, fake smile. "Yes, great, Lorelai," she said sweetly._

_Her cheeks flaming with humiliation, Lorelai dropped to her hands and knees and scrambled to collect the pillow mints that had scattered across the floor. Her hands trembled as she dropped them back into the basket and looped the handle over her arm as she pushed to her feet. "Well, you're all set. Just call if you need anything, and have fun," she called over her shoulder as she hurried for the door._

"_Lorelai, your clothes," Luke called after her, gesturing to the pile of clothing at his feet._

_Lorelai looked down at them, and then up at him. She pressed her lips together in a thin line as she shook her head and said, "Doesn't matter. Everyone knows anyway," and then fled the room, swinging the door shut behind her with a bang._

Lorelai sat straight up, pressing her hand to her hammering heart as she looked around her bedroom wild eyed. "Rory?" she called out, her voice cracking.

"I'm home," Rory answered in a dejected tone. "Sorry, didn't mean to slam the door."

Lorelai gulped in a breath. "How was that party?" she asked.

"I'll tell you about it tomorrow," Rory promised.

Lorelai exhaled her relief, knowing she wasn't in any state to face her daughter at the moment. "Okay. Goodnight," she said loudly.

"Night."

Lorelai flopped back onto her pillow, covering her eyes with her forearm. "Stupid Booster Club. Cost me eighteen dollars, my pride and now, my sanity," she muttered to the empty room.

****

Days later, Lorelai stood alone in her bedroom gripping her arms tightly as she stared at the bed. There was too much in her head. Tiny particles of thoughts careened around, ricocheting off her skull and smashing into each other.

_Where did the eighteen dollars from the cash box go? What exactly happened in Kyle's bedroom? Why was Luke at home in bed with ten more minutes to sleep when John called about the Hummel? Should they put a wood fired stove in at the Dragonfly? How far did things go in Kyle's bedroom? Did her parents ask about her when Rory went to see them? Would Lane ever get the stench of beer and vomit out of her backpack or would she just buy a new one? Did Fran have any unseen heirs that would pop up at the last minute and snatch the inn from their grasp? Why didn't Luke go skiing? Did Diane like it when Max did that thing with his tongue that always creeped her out? Wouldn't that prom dress in the window have been perfect for Rory? Where had Luke been for the past couple of days? Is Lindsay pregnant? Is that why she and Dean are getting married? Why did Alex stop calling? What had she done wrong? Why wasn't Luke standing at the counter when she passed by the diner these past couple of days? Was Jess really pissed off at Rory for not having sex with him? Did Rory let things go too far before shutting him down? How far was too far? Exactly how much sex has Patty had? Did Luke really want her? Does he still? Was what she overheard Babette saying to Mrs. Slutsky true? Had Luke and Nicole really broken up? Why did she order manicotti at Al's? Why was it blue? Should she shorten the skirts she had in her closet, or should she just splurge and buy new ones? Luke likes the shorter skirts_.

That was the thought that cut off all of the other questions. For days, she'd been kicking herself. For days, all she could think about was that damn dream. Lorelai shuddered as she turned away from the bed and caught her reflection in the mirror above the dresser.

_The thing in Kyle's bedroom. No other women exist on a first date. Even if she's just a friend? I didn't wanna be that girl and you don't want me to be that girl, but after the hockey game, I was that girl. You talked to my stomach and then you kis… well, no._

She looked around at her own empty bedroom, and decided it was time to get some answers. Any answers. She rushed from her bedroom and down the steps as quickly as she could without alerting Rory. Lorelai crossed her lawn, picking up the pace to a fast walk, and then finally, breaking into a trot as she headed for the town square. If she couldn't shake the answers she wanted out of Jess, she'd make damn sure she pried them out of Luke.

****

His throat ached. It could have been the screaming. By now, surely half of Stars Hollow knew that Luke had crowned himself Employee of the Universe. It could have been the frustration. Luke Danes never wanted to hurt another human being as badly as he wanted to hurt Jimmy Mariano. He knew he should have put the guy's head in a wall when he'd had the chance. Then again, maybe that ache was simply the bitter taste of yet another colossal failure. Luke sank down into a chair at the tiny kitchen table and covered his face with his hands.

_I should be used to that by now. After all, I've failed at almost everything in my life_, he reasoned as he tugged at his tie, unraveling the single Windsor knot and yanking it free from his collar. As he opened two more buttons on his shirt, he decided that maybe that's why Jess' comment about the diner had struck home. The diner was the one thing he hadn't managed to screw up. _At least not yet, _he derided himself.

Luke sighed and shook his head as he rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. He was exhausted. First, there the fight with Nicole that became an ugly break up. The fight was over Lorelai. Of course, that was never said. Not out loud. Because saying her name when it was just the two of them alone in a room would be like striking a match next to a keg of gunpowder. But he knew it, and she knew it, and they both knew it was true. Everything she said, or implied, or alluded to was the absolute truth. He couldn't let Lorelai go. He couldn't be fully in a relationship with Nicole, because something always held him back. And that something's unspoken name was Lorelai.

And then, there was Jess. She would never say so, but Nicole had been mortified by his outburst when he'd met her parents. Luke could tell by the way she avoided his eyes when they talked about it. He knew that it was worse than he imagined, because she couldn't even manage to put on the lawyer mask to cover her disappointment in him. He knew by the subtle things she would say that she thought that he was too invested in his nephew, that he was exerting too much energy in a kid who was so obviously a lost cause, and that she thought that he used Jess as an excuse to keep her at arm's length.

That one, she actually said. Out loud. To him. The night Coop called the inn looking for him to tell him about busting up Kyle's party. The night Lorelai had walked right into their room. The night she had given him a choice. And ultimatum, really. And, he hadn't chosen the one she wanted him to.

Jess. He had no idea what to do with Jess. The one thing he did know was that Jimmy Mariano was the last thing he needed at the moment. Unfortunately, Luke knew that if he were Jess, stuck between certain failure in Stars Hollow and the mysterious allure of the father he had never known, it would be tempting for him too. But there was nothing he could say that Jess would hear. There was nothing that he could do, except do exactly what he said he would do if Jess didn't do what he was supposed to do.

He knew that there was only one thing that could hold Jess back from the brink of self-destruction. Luke sighed, leaning forward and rest his elbows on the table as he rubbed his palms together. His shoulders hunched up around his ears as he remembered what he had seen earlier that day. Jess was losing his grip on Rory, and he knew it. He knew it, and he didn't know what to do about it, so he was apparently going to do nothing. Sadly, Luke didn't have a clue what to do about it either, even if Jess would listen to him.

He picked up his tie and stared at his hands as the slick nylon slipped through his fingers like water. Luke knew that he was not the one to tell Jess how to hold onto the girl he loved. Hell, he had never so much as laid a hand on the girl he loved himself. Oh, he'd touched her. But actually, more often it was she who touched him. He'd held her before, wrapping his arms tightly around her and pulling her closer, but only as a friend. Always just a friend.

And, he was failing at being her friend, too. Jess was going to hurt Rory. He could see it coming, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. It made him angry. It made him sad. It made him sick to his stomach.

He wanted to grab Jess and shake him until he opened his eyes and saw what he was doing; to Rory and to him. He wanted to throw himself bodily in front of Rory; to prove to her, and to Lorelai, that he did care, that he would rather take the blow himself than let Rory be hurt. He wanted to throw up. His stomach knotted tighter with the sure knowledge that somehow he would take the blame for what happened between Rory and Jess. The bile rose in his throat as he squeezed his eyes shut, the tie slipping from his fingers and pooling unnoticed at his feet.

Luke knew he had to let go. Of both of them. The girl he could never have, and the boy he could never help. But letting go wasn't his strong suit. The funeral that day had hammered that point home as surely as his father could hammer a nail. He'd lost Nicole because he couldn't let go. He would lose Jess because he tried to hang on too tightly. He was losing Lorelai before he even got the chance to have her. The chair skittered backwards as he jumped to his feet. It fell to the floor with a clatter as he stumbled to the sink and bent over it, heaving up nothing, because he had nothing left to give.

****

Lorelai ran up the steps to the diner. Although the lights were out, she tried the door handle, but found it locked. Without hesitating, she reached up and felt along the top of the doorframe for the spare key that everyone knew that Luke kept there. She slammed the door behind her, and made her way to the curtain, shoving the thin fabric aside as she rushed headlong for the stairs, heedless of what may lay waiting on the other side.

Luke's head jerked up as he heard the diner door slam. He ran his hand over his face, and turned toward the door, preparing himself to go another round with his nephew. When the frosted glass door swung open wide, he sucked in a sharp breath as he saw Lorelai standing on the threshold.

"Where is he?" she demanded.

"Who?" he answered, even though he knew damn well who she meant.

"Jess! Where's Jess, Luke?" Lorelai asked as she stepped into the apartment.

His mind reeled as the memories came flooding back. _Go to hell! Right back at ya! _

He stared straight at her and said, "I don't know. Gone. Or he will be gone."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she scoffed.

"It means I'm done, I've had it," Luke shouted as he threw his arms out to his sides. "I'm done with all of it! Him, her, you. I'm done, I'm out!"

"You're out? You're out? How can you just be out?" she asked, advancing on him.

"I can't do a damn thing about it. Any of it. You know that," he said angrily.

"Why are you mad at me?" she asked, incredulous.

"Why do you think?"

"What did he tell you?"

"He doesn't tell me anything, you know that!"

"He didn't tell you what happened at Kyle's?"

"He got in a fight. It happens. I've been in a few myself," Luke said dismissively.

"I'm not talking about the fight!"

"Then I don't know what the hell you're talking about. You should go," he said as he waved his hand at the door.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Go before I say something that I can't take back," Luke snarled.

"Hey, it's not my fault that Rory wouldn't give in," she spat back at him. "Wait. Yes. Yes, it is, and I'm damn proud of it," she amended, lifting her chin defiantly.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that if that little punk is enough of a jerk to dump her because she wouldn't put out at Kyle's party, then I'm glad he's gone!"

"He broke up with Rory?" Luke asked, stunned by the revelation.

"Well, I don't know. She doesn't know. All she knows is that she wouldn't sleep with him, and now he won't speak to her. I hope he never comes back!"

"Don't worry, he won't, so you'll get what you want. You always do," Luke sneered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said. You always get exactly what you want. You don't even have to try," he shouted. "You hate Jess, well, you're getting your wish. I'm kicking him out," he said, throwing up his hands in frustration. "I don't know what else to do. I try and I try, but it's never good enough. I can never make it work. No matter how hard I try, I can never get what I want!"

"What you want? What do _you _want?" she asked with a puzzled frown.

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does."

"No, Lorelai, it doesn't," he said as he shook his head adamantly. "No matter how much I want it, I can't make him do what he's supposed to do. I was an idiot to think that I could. And, you're right, if that's what wrong with him and Rory, then he needs to just get the hell out before he hurts her even more. And not just for Rory's sake, but for his own, because nothing sucks more than hurting someone who doesn't deserve to be hurt."

Lorelai took a step back as his words struck home. She pictured Max standing ten feet away from her, holding out his hand to ward her off like she was some kind of threat. "No, you're right," she said in a whisper.

"He has to go. Now, before it gets any worse."

"I'm not sure it can get worse," Lorelai murmured.

"Of course it can get worse," Luke sneered. "Things can always get worse. She could have said yes, right? She could have gone on with the relationship, even though he was too screwed up to see straight. He could have made her think that she was the one and that he wanted to be with her, when all he wants to be is someplace else, with someone else," he said hotly.

"Someone else? Jess has someone else?"

"No! Not Jess!" Luke waved his hand as if to brush the thought aside as he turned away from her.

"Then who?" Lorelai asked in a bewildered tone. "Who has someone else?"

"No one. Nothing. Forget it," he said as he squeezed his temples between his thumb and middle finger, trying to get a grip on himself.

Lorelai took a step closer again, cocking her head to peer around his shoulder. "Nicole? Did Nicole have someone else?" she asked gently.

The air huffed from his lungs as he lowered his hand and shook his head slowly. "No, there's no one else."

"Did you and Nicole break up?" she asked bluntly.

Luke turned to glare at her and said, "It wasn't because she wouldn't sleep with me, if that's what you're wondering. Go home, Lorelai, Jess will be gone in the morning."

"What happened?" she asked softly as she placed her hand gently on his arm. She felt his muscles bunch beneath his white dress shirt, and fought back the urge to squeeze them in response.

"Nothing happened," he said gruffly.

"Luke, you said there was someone else. If you weren't talking about Jess, and you weren't talking about Nicole, then who were you talking about?" she coaxed.

Luke looked away for a moment, and then turned to face her. "You. I was talking about you."

"Me?"

"Yes. You're the someone else. You've always been the someone else, no matter how much I don't want you to be."

"You don't?" she asked, taken aback by the vehemence in his tone.

"Why would I?" he demanded. "You think it feels good to want someone who will never want you? You think it's smart to blow a good thing because you just can't let go of the one thing you know you'll never have? You think I liked seeing her flinch? And this thing with Rory and Jess, it's just the capper. Now nothing will ever happen, can ever happen, can it? Even if you woke up one day and decided that you wanted me too, it can never happen."

"Why?"

"Why? Because I'm the one who brought him here! I'm the one who let your daughter be broken, not once, but twice!"

"Luke, Rory let that happen, you didn't," Lorelai said as she shook her head adamantly. "Just like Rory was the one who wouldn't let other things happen."

"Funny, you didn't feel that way about it last spring," he said with a sneer.

"I was wrong. I know I was wrong. You know that I know that I was wrong," she said firmly. "And you're wrong too."

"I am? About what?" he scoffed.

"You're wrong to think that I wouldn't want you. You seriously think that in all the time I've known you that I haven't thought about you? About us?" she demanded.

Luke snorted and said, "Don't."

"I have!" she cried in frustration. "There! Are you happy? I have thought about you. I've thought about you a lot. Naked. Is that what you want to hear? You don't get to do this! You don't get to play the victim here, Luke!"

"Play the victim?"

"Oh, poor Luke, Lorelai's a heartless bitch who doesn't see how much he wants her," she mocked snidely. "Bullshit!"

Luke reared back. "Bullshit?"

"It is bullshit and you know it! How many chances did you have, Luke? How many looks, and touches and moments did you let slip by? I waited, wondering if you'd ever make up your mind about me," she said heatedly. "Did you? No. Never. You never took that chance. You are Mr. Ambivalence 2003, Luke. You don't get to be the wronged man. You don't get to make this all my fault!"

When he turned away, crossing his arms over his chest, Lorelai moved in front of him; grasping his arms and trying to force him to look at her. "You think I liked this? You think I liked seeing you with her? She was so wrong for you! You think I liked thinking about you with her, picturing you touching her, your hands on her there in that bed? That's my inn!" she yelled, jabbing her chest with her finger. "If you were going to be screwing anyone in my inn, it should have been me!"

Luke gaped at her for a moment as her words sank in. He glanced down at her hands, taking in the way that her fingers curled into his shirt, hanging onto him possessively. He looked up again, arrested by the blue flames burning in her eyes. Raising his hands, he grasped the back of her head, tilting her face up as he lowered his lips, kissing her hard and hot.

Lorelai pulled back, blinking rapidly as his warm breath washed over her damp lips. "Is this it? Are we doing this now?" she asked in whisper.

"You said you wanted me," he answered in a deep, husky voice.

Lorelai looked down at their bodies pressed close together, and realized that every obstacle that ever stood between them, real or imagined, ceased to matter. She nodded slowly as she looked up again. "I do. I want you," she said, her voice growing stronger as her hands traveled up his arms to his shoulders. "I want you," she said as she pulled his head down to hers and kissed him passionately.

Her lips parted, and Luke groaned as his tongue swept into her mouth, tangling with hers as she opened her mouth wider taking him in. Lorelai's hands moved restlessly, rumpling his fine hair. Her fingers trailed down his neck, the tips of them tracing the strong outline of his jaw as she angled her head, hungry for all of him. Bypassing the buttons on his shirt, her hands slid to the waistband of his pants, and she pulled the tail free with impatient yanks.

Luke stepped back, pulling the shirt from his pants for her and stripping it, and his undershirt up over his head in one swift move. Impatiently, he pulled his hands from the cuffs and tossed the shirts aside, his chest heaving as he turned back to her.

Lorelai spread her hands over his chest, smoothing her fingers over the hard ridges of muscle clad only in warm skin. She opened herself to him willingly as he hauled her close again, claiming her lips once more and trapping her hands between them. Lorelai felt his nipple bead as her fingertips brushed over it. She moaned into his mouth as his abs tightened beneath her touch. And as her hands found the buckle of his belt she thrust her tongue into his mouth, giving as good as she had gotten.

Luke peeled her sweater over her shoulders, trapping her arms at her sides as he pushed her away. Lorelai blinked in confusion, but this time he did not hesitate. He skimmed the sweater down her arms, his eyes fixed on hers as it fell to the floor. His nimble fingers unerringly found the zipper on her dress. He saw her suck in a breath as he began to lower it slowly. He parted the fabric, his hands caressing the silken skin of her back, his fingertips tracing the graceful curve of her spine as she opened his belt and unhooked his pants. He reached for her hand, closing his tightly around it as he silently turned and walked toward his bed.

When they stopped beside the narrow single bed, a small smile curved her lips as Lorelai slipped the dress from her shoulders and let it fall to her feet. She stepped out of it, kicking her shoes aside as she reached for the clasp of her bra. She met Luke's steady gaze as she slid the bra down her arms and then pushed her panties from her hips. She watched as he unzipped his pants and toed off his dress shoes. He shed the remainder of his clothing and pushed it all away with his foot as he stood straight and tall, meeting her eyes unflinchingly.

Lorelai placed her hands on his chest and pushed him toward the bed, smiling with satisfaction as he dropped down onto it. She dropped to her knees between his legs, and before he could even reach for her, Lorelai closed her lips around the tip of his cock.

"Jesus, Lorelai," Luke groaned and his mouth fell open as she swirled her tongue around the very tip of him.

She pulled him deeper into her mouth, humming approvingly as her tongue slid over his hard flesh. Slowly, she pulled up, sucking deeply as she lifted her head. "Want me?" she asked softly.

"So much," he answered, his voice raw with honesty. "Too much." He reached for her arms, pulling her up to kneel in front of him. He cupped her breasts, watching as her pink nipples tightened. He leaned forward, capturing one rosy bud with his lips and pulling it into his mouth. Lorelai moaned, and Luke sucked harder, pulling her greedily into his mouth. When he released the furled tip, his warm breath washed over her damp skin. "Too long," he said as he wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her up onto the narrow bed.

Lorelai planted one knee on either side of his hips, trusting his steady hands to hold her as he reclaimed her breast. She arched back, feeling his fingertips pressing into her skin as he suckled her ardently. Placing one hand on his shoulder, she held on tight as the other slid between her legs, teasing her already damp folds. "I dream about you. I think about you. I want you. I want your hands on me. Your mouth. I want you inside me," she whispered as she moved against her own hand.

Luke moved to her other breast, pulling her nipple deep into his mouth and sucking until she cried out softly. He offered no apology, but laved the afflicted flesh with his tongue as his hands slid down to her ass and pulled her against him, trapping his pulsing cock between his stomach and the back of her hand.

Lorelai shifted slightly, removing her fingers from her wet folds and wrapping them around his stiff shaft. The moment Luke released her nipple, she rose up, grasping him firmly as she guided him to her entrance and then sank down onto the head of his cock. They froze for a moment, the tip of him barely inside of her, and then Lorelai leaned back to look at him. She felt his hands tighten on her ass, spreading her apart as he looked up at her without blinking.

"Mine," she said in the barest whisper, and then impaled herself on him.

Luke choked on a gasp as she pressed down, taking him in as she spread her knees wide. She stopped again, feeling him pulse deep inside of her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face against his hair. She began to move slowly, letting her body grow accustomed to this welcome invasion, letting the heat of their joined bodies melt and flow through her veins. Slowly, she picked up the pace, feeling his hands glide up over the curve of her ass, his palms smoothing up her back as his fingers spread wide, greedily covering every inch of flesh they could reach. She rode him harder, loosening her hold on his neck as she felt the heat building low and deep in her belly with every grunt he failed to stifle.

"Lorelai," he whispered, his voice edged in desperation.

She began to move faster still, desperately searching for the thread that would unravel the knot burning inside of her. Whimpers of frustration caught in her throat as she opened her eyes, staring intently at his dresser, reaching for that which eluded her. "I can't," she whispered.

Luke clutched at her shoulders, pulling down until she slowed to a stop. "Hang on," he said reassuringly as he slid his hands to her hips and began to lift her up off of him.

Lorelai clung to his biceps, feeling them tense and bunch as he pushed her up. "No," she protested futilely.

Luke persisted, pushing gently until she tumbled onto the bed beside him. He turned, intending to cover her body with his, only to find that she had flipped onto her stomach. "Roll over," he gently prodded.

Lorelai lifted her ass up off of the bed, pressing her face into his pillow as she said, "Like this."

Luke frowned slightly as he moved to position himself between her legs. He bent forward, pressing his lips to the curve of her ass, and was rewarded with her low moan of approval. He kissed his way down to her thigh and pulled up on her hips, urging her up onto her knees. When she complied, he turned onto his back and pulled her down again.

Lorelai cried out as his tongue parted her folds, and pushed up onto her hands, rocking against the delicious sensation as he pushed her knees apart. "Oh, yes," she moaned as he pressed his tongue deeper, parting her with his fingers.

Luke's tongue slid teasingly along her folds as she undulated against him. He swirled it around her clit, and answered her gasp with a throaty moan of pleasure as his fingers pressed into her hot, tight walls. He drew her into his mouth, sucking gently as his fingers slid slowly in and out of her, unfazed by her urgings, unhurried by the increasingly breathy moans that escaped her lips.

"I want you. Now," Lorelai panted as she fell forward onto her elbows, lifting herself up just out of his reach.

Luke continued to stroke her with his fingers as he wriggled out from under her, letting them twist inside of her as he turned and pushed to his knees between her legs. "Like this?" he asked breathlessly.

"Like this," she corrected as she rose up on her knees and reached blandly for his other hand. She grasped his wrist and pulled his hand to her breast, pressing it there as he slid his knees between hers. Lorelai groaned in disappointment as he pulled his fingers from her and then positioned himself at her entrance.

"Better?" he whispered in her ear as she sank down onto him.

Lorelai pulled his other hand from her hip and pressed his fingers to her clit as he rose up to meet her. "Better," she answered. "Fuck me, Luke, fuck me," she implored.

He thrust up into her, his fingers circling her clit as he pinched her nipple hard. "Like this," he growled in her ear.

"Yes, yes," Lorelai panted as she squeezed her eyes shut, once again trying to capture that flickering flame that burned inside of her. "Fuck me, fuck me," she chanted mindlessly as she cupped her other breast in her hand. His breath was hot and ragged, roaring in her ear as he pushed into her. Her eyes popped open as he groaned softly, and she knew that she wouldn't get there. "Talk to me. Tell me that you want me," she begged.

"Oh god, Lorelai," he croaked.

"Tell me that I'm the one you want."

"You, you."

"Why? Why can't I?" she asked plaintively. "Why, Luke?"

Luke stilled, frozen by her whispered pleas. "I don't know," he answered, his voice cracking as he pulled away from her his hands still clinging her as pressed his forehead to her back. "Maybe you don't want this," he said in a hoarse voice.

Lorelai shook her head adamantly. "No. I do. Yes, I do want this," she said as she stared at the wall above his bed.

"Maybe it's not the right time," Luke said unconvincingly as he pulled away from her, his hands slipping from her body as he sat back on his heels pressing his palms hard into his knees as he hung his head in defeat.

Lorelai heard it, the doubt creeping into his voice when it had been so sure just moments before. She turned and fell back onto her bottom, still shaking her head as she reached for his hands. "Look at me," she implored softly as she pulled his hands to her chest, clasping them tightly between them. When he raised his eyes, she wet her lips and straight into those fathomless blue depths. "I do. I want you so badly," she said with quiet surety. "I don't know what's wrong. I don't know why I can't, I want…" she trailed off as her eyes searched his for the answers she needed.

Luke leaned forward and kissed her softly, his lips clinging to hers as he pulled back a fraction of an inch and shook his head. "I'll do anything. Anything you want me to," he said gruffly.

"Kiss me again," she whispered.

When his lips touched hers, Lorelai let go of his hands and cupped his face in her hands, her fingertips tracing his cheekbones as she tasted her desire for him on his lips. She sighed softly and opened her mouth, taking him deeper as she fell back against the pillows, her legs tangling with his as their tongues danced around one another's.

When his lips moved to her cheek and then her jaw, Lorelai pressed deeper into the pillow and whispered, "You have no idea how much I've thought of this, of us." She ran her hands over the hard planes of his back, feeling the muscles ripple under his skin.

"You want me," he said, a statement, not a question.

"Oh, yes," she breathed as he pressed his open mouth to the pulse in her throat.

"You trust me?" he asked gently as he lifted his head.

"Yes," she answered, closing her eyes as she wrapped her arms and legs tightly around him, holding him close to her.

"Look at me," he ordered softly. When she opened her eyes, he saw the bright blue flames still dancing in them. "You trust me?" he asked again.

"Yes."

Luke nodded once and then shifted until he pressed against her entrance. He stared down into her eyes, waiting until he himself could believe the certainty in her gaze before he slid back into her. Lowering his weight onto his elbows, he framed her head with his forearms, his fingers tangling in her hair as he began to move slowly inside of her.

Lorelai stared up at him, unable to look away, unsure if she could even blink now that she was caught in that deep, intense blue. She let go. Losing herself in the feel of his body against hers, his cock sliding in and out of her, his hands in her hair. Her lips parted as she stayed locked on his eyes, searching them for all that she needed to know, and finding the answer to every question she had ever had about him. The coil that burned in her belly sprang free, shocking her with the heat that coursed through her veins. Her eyes widened and her lips moved soundlessly as the blood rushed in her ears. Every nerve ending was set aflame, every fiber of her being consumed by it, by him. She gasped, feeling him ripple and surge deep inside of her as she tightened around him, holding him tightly as the fire caught hold of him too and he filled her.

"Oh my god, Luke," she whispered as he collapsed into the curve of her neck.

"Yeah," he managed to grunt in agreement.

Lorelai blinked rapidly as she stared at the ceiling, trying desperately to gather her scattered wits. She grasped for them, struggling to regain control their breathing slowed and reality began to set in, thick and heavy, pressing down on her as the weight of his body pressed her into the narrow mattress.

"Luke?" she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Um, I should," she began as she pushed gently on his shoulders, signaling him to get up.

"What?"

"I should, uh, Jess," she stammered, looking away as he stared down at her with a puzzled expression.

Luke nodded slowly and then pushed back, trying to mask his grimace as he slipped from her heat. "Yeah, right, okay," he managed to mutter.

Lorelai rolled from the bed and bent down to collect her bra and panties, clutching the scraps of black satin to her chest as she picked up her dress and held it in front of her. She gave him a weak smile and tilted her head toward the open door to his bathroom. "I'm gonna, I need to…" she said as she hurried into the small tiled room and shut the door firmly between them. Slumping against the worn wooden door, Lorelai's fingers tightened in the material she pressed to her chest. "Oh god, what did I do?" she whispered to the empty room.

Luke sat on the edge of his bed and ran his hand through his hair. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath and then surged up off of the bed. "Oh, fuck, what did I do?" he grumbled under his breath as he snatched up his pants and underwear, quickly straightening them out well enough to pull them on. He yanked the zipper into place, but left them unbuttoned as he pulled the belt from the loops and tossed it in the general direction of his closet.

Lorelai jumped as she heard something clank against the hardwood floor outside the bathroom door. She twisted around clawing at the zipper of her dress, but unable to reach it. She gave up, letting her head fall forward for a moment, her hair shielding her flaming cheeks. Finally, she looked up, meeting her own troubled eyes in the mirror above his sink. She smoothed her hair as best she could with her fingers, and then nodded slightly to her reflection. "You did this," she said softly and then reached for the doorknob.

Luke had just pulled his shirts on when he heard the bathroom door open. Lorelai laughed nervously as his head popped through the neck and then forced a bright smile. "Hey, can you zip me up?" she asked as she walked back into the room.

"Sure." Luke crossed over to her and gently pulled the zipper back up her spine as she swept her hair out of the way. "There you go," he said as he quickly removed his hands and stepped back.

"Thanks," she replied, tossing him a quick smile over her shoulder as she nudged her shoes with her toes and then stepped into them. Lorelai took a deep breath, and then turned to face him. "So, I should, uh, go. Rory," she added by way of explanation.

"You want me to walk you home?" he asked, silently praying that she would refuse his offer.

Lorelai shook her head quickly and said, "No, I'll be fine." She leaned in and pecked a quick kiss to his lips, and then started for the door. She paused in the open doorway, unsure of where they stood, but certain of one thing. Lorelai cocked her head and asked, "So, we'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

She gave him a fleeting smile and a self-conscious wave of her hand. "Good. See you tomorrow," she said, and then pulled the door closed behind her as she hurried for the stairs.

By the time she reached the darkened diner, she all but broke into a run, only to be brought up short by the jingle of the bells above the door. Her mouth tightened into a line as she spotted Jess standing between her and the freedom of the sidewalk.

"Awfully late for a coffee run. And, there's no coffee in the pot," Jess drawled as he nodded to the sparkling clean coffee maker.

"You don't deserve either of them," Lorelai said in a harsh whisper as she pushed past him, and fled into the quiet Stars Hollow night.

Jess' eyebrows shot up and he said, "You are certainly right about that, Miz Gilmore," as he flipped the lock on the door.

He made his way quietly up the stairs, bracing himself for round two with his uncle. But when he stepped into the apartment, he found Luke standing in the kitchen holding a black sweater in his hands. Jess' gaze swept over his uncle's rumpled clothing and then he stepped forward, craning his neck to peer at Luke's bed.

He turned back to Luke and smirked as he said snidely, "No need to work out a signal, I'll be gone tomorrow."

Luke's head jerked up and his jaw tightened, the muscle jumping as he clenched his teeth together. "No need to leave on my account. You can always stay and repeat the twelfth grade."

"I'll be gone tomorrow," Jess repeated as he pulled a duffle bag from his closet and began to pack.

Luke nodded and dropped the sweater onto the couch before he left the apartment, seeking refuge in his diner, truly the one thing in his life he hadn't managed to screw up.


	37. Dead Legends and Party Punch

**A/N: Okay, here is the anti-dote for the last chapter. I get it – people no likey when things are left hanging. So I give you this, a gigantic pile of fluff, fluff, and more fluff. I threw in a little bit of smut to be on the safe side. And it's long too. Really long and really fluffy, okay? Forgive me?**

**Dead Legends and Party Punch**

Luke peered down at the empty cup in his hand, a sad smile curving the corners of his mouth. What was once there, was now gone. All gone. It had been good. Too good. Over the years, he'd had many, many run-ins with the lethal concoction. More than he'd care to admit, and a few that he'd prefer to forget. He knew all too well the seductive allure of that first cup of that virulent red mixture. He also knew that refilling the cup from the punch bowl on the back counter would be tantamount to suicide. That was the problem with Patty's Founder's Day Punch, it tasted too good. It went down too easy. It felt too good too; this happy buzz that made the hum of conversation that surrounded him that much more bearable. It made the stories that much funnier and the laughter that much more comforting. And the pain? Well, it quieted the pain that days like today always stirred, muffling it to a dull roar.

Patty's punch was magical. Far too magical for a down to earth guy like him. But still, it made him feel good. Warm and fuzzy, like cute fluffy bunnies, or some girly crap like that. Clutching the paper cup tightly, he stood off to the side, watching as his friends and neighbors refilled their plates from the impromptu buffet set up on the counter. Luke stared at the bowls and platters of food he had not prepared spread out on the worn formica countertop that he had built with his own two hands, and wondered who had brought what. He knew who had brought the punch, he noted with a smirk. The rest was all a mystery.

Luke turned his attention back to the gathering, deciding to make a game out of matching the casserole dish to its owner. But then, he had to smile as he saw that the colonial hat perched atop Patty's head migrating slowly but steadily toward her ear. No, the punch made him feel good, too good, and that could be bad. He'd barely even flinched when Babette stood up and screeched, "I've got one! I've got one!" in her sandpapery voice in an effort to be heard over the others. He'd actually listened to Taylor whine about the dent that guy with the stand had put in his produce profits. Well, he'd listened for about fifteen seconds, but he figured even that much had to be a personal best. But the most disturbing side effect of ingesting even one cup of Patty's punch was his inability to keep his eyes off of Lorelai Gilmore. He knew he was watching too closely; his eyes following her every movement as she flitted easily from group to group. She sought him out occasionally, a pleased gleam in her eyes as she filed away another anecdote about his late uncle, and probably more than a few tidbits about his own youthful exploits. It was too much for him to handle; this warm fuzzy feeling, the happy buzz of alcohol humming through his veins, that irresistible magnetic pull he felt whenever she was nearby.

_Dangerous, this is too dangerous, she's too dangerous._ Luke knew he was treading too close to the line, but he couldn't help himself. She smiled and it made him smile. She laughed and it made him laugh. She touched his arm, and it made him want to pull her deeper into his. _No, another cup of punch would be bad, very bad,_ he decided as he placed the cup on the counter and moved cautiously away from it. He glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention, and then, relieved to find that no one was, he slipped through the curtain that led to the steps.

****

Lorelai pushed her empty punch cup aside and looked up just in time to see the curtain swing back into place. Her brow puckered into a concerned frown as she tipped her head to check the time on Taylor's wristwatch. With another glance at the now still curtain, she decided she'd give him five minutes to reappear before she went after him. Of course, she knew he'd be upset if she did go after him. But the truth was, she was worried about him. And even though things like this might not be his thing, she truly believed that it was good for him to be down here; to hear the stories, to talk a little bit himself. Actually, the truth was, she was that she wanted him down here with her. Where she could keep an eye on him. Because she was worried about him. And the unvarnished truth was, she was a little bit worried about herself too.

It was a weird week. Busy, a little crazy, and more than a little confusing. Louie's death had brought her much closer to Luke, in a strangely morbid kind of way. And she liked that. The being closer part; not the strangely morbid bit. She was beginning to worry that she liked that a little too much. But, this was the first time in their friendship that Lorelai could remember Luke really needing her. He needed her. Not just her help with the room arrangements, or the diner; but really needed her, as a friend, a confidant, someone to talk to. Not that Luke did a lot of talking. But he did talk sometimes, and when he did talk, he talked to her. And she liked that. She liked it a lot. It felt good to be needed. Especially to be needed by Luke, who seemingly didn't need anybody. It felt good. Too good. She was afraid that she could get used to it. Too used to it. But the truth, if we're still telling the truth, was that she wanted him to need her. And that worried her enough for the both of them.

Lorelai cast a wary glance at the ketchup dispenser on the table, and then hastily excused herself from the table as a picture of herself gliding through the diner clutching that ketchup bottle as a bouquet flashed into her mind. And the truly scary part? Well, aside from proving her mother right, the picture didn't look too bad to her.

She carried her empty plate to the trash and then moved to the counter and began to clear away empty bowls and discarded plates. Once again, she found herself envisioning Emily's perfect Romanov wedding. As much as she hated to admit it, even if it was only in her imagination, it was beautiful. Then again, she had to smile as she recalled the gruff, 'They probably had it coming,' Luke had given in reply to her mother's query. Lorelai had to admit that his answer had inched him a little closer to being what she herself would consider a match made in heaven. She moved quickly away from the counter, trying to outpace the seedlings of hope taking root in her brain.

Lorelai picked up the empty cups scattered around the diner and carried them to the trash. She spotted one of the war re-enactors hats on a table and looked up to see Patty wearing a similar hat set at a jaunty angle as she toasted another one of Luke's uncle's dubious exploits. The fact that she looked like a drunken pirate made Lorelai smile. The fact that thoughts of pirates made her think of Luke ranting about his slightly disturbed cousin Franny, and her gorgeous Petey made her smile widen into a grin. And the fact that she was standing at the trash can grinning at absolutely nothing, scared the crap out of her.

"What's so funny?" Rory asked as she approached with a handful of plates to be thrown away.

"Oh. Nothing. You know, just stuff," Lorelai said dismissively. "Pirates and parrots and patriots," she murmured.

"Oh my," Rory gasped, playing along. She turned to look at the crowd gathered and said, "Nice turnout."

"Yeah," Lorelai said with a nod. "I can't believe that everyone did this. I have to tell you, being the only people standing in that cemetery was a little depressing."

"Aw, I'm sorry," Rory said quickly. "I should have blown off Chaucer and come to the funeral."

"No, you needed to hang with old Geoffrey for a while. You've spent a lot of time helping out here this week and I know that Luke appreciates it," Lorelai reassured her.

"Still, I should have come. How is he? Is he doing okay?" she asked anxiously as she searched the crowd for Luke but came up empty.

"He's fine," Lorelai answered. "A little sad, I think, but I think that may have more to do with his dad than Louie," she said as she stacked empty bowls on the back counter to be reclaimed by their rightful owners later. She glanced over at the curtain, and then turned back to Rory. "I'm gonna go check on him. Can you keep an eye on things down here? Make sure no one tries to storm the kitchen and claim the deep fryer in the name of Mother England?"

"Will do," Rory said with a nod.

"Thanks." Lorelai gave Rory's arm a gentle squeeze, and then headed for the curtain.

Just as she raised her foot to the bottom step, she heard heavy footsteps above and looked up. "Oh, hey," she said, flashing a bright smile. "I was just coming to look for you."

"Yeah?" Luke asked as he continued down the creaking old staircase, a bottle of beer clutched in his hand.

"Drinking alone?"

He glanced down at the bottle and shrugged. "Figured I'd be better off with this than that lighter fluid in the punch bowl."

"Ah, playing it safe," she answered with a sage nod. She peered up at him as he came to a stop three steps above her.

He returned her smile as he leaned against the wood paneled wall. "Seemed like a good idea."

"Chicken?"

"You bet," he answered easily. "Looking for me?"

Lorelai fought to tear her gaze from his smile. "Oh, yeah. Well, I might be one of those people who like you," she said with a shrug.

Luke's eyebrows rose. "Really? Huh, I thought those were just a rumor. One of those things you see in the tabloids, right next to the stories about alien autopsies and Elvis working at the 7-11 in Poughkeepsie. "

"Nope, we really do exist," she answered as she leaned against the wall too, and smiled up at him.

"So do they," he said gravely.

Lorelai laughed, delighted by his twisted, and too seldom employed sense of humor. "You're right."

Caught in the bright blue tractor beam of her eyes, he stepped down one more step, still leaning into the wall, but powerless to resist moving a little bit closer. "Hey, you wanna get out of here for a little while?" he asked.

Lorelai frowned as she looked up at him. "You okay?"

Luke nodded. "Just think I want to get some fresh air."

"You didn't get enough earlier?" Lorelai asked, and then immediately wished she had bitten her tongue.

But Luke just smiled, and shook his head. "Not there. I wanna take a walk."

"A walk?"

"You don't have to go," he said, trying to sound nonchalant as he pushed away from the wall.

Lorelai straightened up too, tugging at the lapels of her jacket. "No, I'll go," she said quickly. "I need to tell Rory." She glanced up at the beer in his hand and asked, "Got another of those?"

Luke looked down at the bottle he had forgotten he held. "Sure. Grab a couple of cups," he said as he turned to climb back up the stairs.

Lorelai pushed back through the curtain, adamantly trying to convince herself that the pleasure she'd felt at his invitation was simply that of a friend chosen to be the one that he wanted to lean on. She tried not to think about that slow smile that creased his face and made his eyes crinkle. She put aside all thoughts of that tie, loosened but still knotted, just below the opened buttons of his striped dress shirt. Instead, she focused on being his friend, the one he asked to take a walk with him, the one he wanted nearby when he just needed to clear his head.

She found Rory at a table by the window, engaging in what appeared to be a largely one-sided discussion with Jess. "Hey, sorry," she apologized as she interrupted Rory's discourse on _Troilus and Criseyde. _"Um, Luke wants to get out of here for a little while. Can you guys handle things?" she asked.

"Where are you going?" Rory asked as she rose from her chair.

"Just for a walk, but I'm not sure how long these guys will hang out," she said as she gestured to the tables of post-wake stragglers still occupying the tables.

"Oh, yeah, sure. And when they leave, Jess will put away what's left of the food. Won't you Jess?" she asked with a pointed stare. When he scoffed, Rory smiled sweetly and said, "I know he'll want the leftovers." Jess looked down at what was left of his second plate of food, and then shrugged as he nodded and looked away.

"Thanks," Lorelai said, smirking as Jess folded like a house of cards. "Be back in a while."

"No problem. Oh, hey, is it okay if I go by Lane's for a while, when were done here?"

"Pick up Al's on the way home?" Lorelai negotiated.

"Deal."

"Grab some money out of my purse," Lorelai instructed as she moved to the counter and grabbed two plastic cups from the stack near the punchbowl.

With a quick wave, she turned and hurried back to the curtain. When she pushed through, Luke stepped off of the last step holding two bottles of beer between his fingers. "Cups," she said as she held up the proof of her assigned task.

"Good work," Luke said as he took them and cradled them both in one large hand. He tipped the cups and neatly poured both bottles of beer at once.

"You have hidden talents," she said admiringly.

"Wanted to be one of those guys who sold beer at Fenway when I grew up," he confessed.

"Ah, the hopes and dreams of the American male."

"Yep. Wanted to marry Mary Ann from _Gilligan's Island_ too," he said as he set the empty bottles on a step.

"Not Ginger?"

"Too many costume changes," he said as he handed one of the cups to her.

Lorelai eyed the still knotted tie hanging down the center of his chest and asked, "Is this a formal walk? I didn't bring my suitcase on this three hour tour."

"Oh," Luke said as he pressed his beer into her outstretched hand. He yanked on the tie until the knot unraveled and then pulled it from his collar. Luke tossed it onto the step with the discarded bottles and rolled up his cuffs as he turned back to her. "Thanks," he said as he reached for his beer and then gestured to the back door.

Lorelai grinned. "Slip out the back, Jack?"

"That the plan, Stan," he answered as he held the door open for her to pass.

Lorelai followed his lead as he wandered down the alley. "Where are we headed?" she asked.

"Down by the lake," he answered without hesitation.

As they turned onto the sidewalk, Lorelai slipped her hand through his arm. When Luke glanced down at her hand questioningly, she simply shrugged and said, "Heels."

Luke sneaked a quick peek at her shoes, his lips curving slightly as he noted that he had seen her run down the sidewalk in heels much higher when someone dared to utter the words 'free samples'.

He looked up at the flawless spring sky and said only, "Nice day."

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed, giving his arm a slight squeeze, and moving a bit closer, just as she had earlier that day.

Luke couldn't help but flex a little as he did his best to ignore the brush of her soft breast against his arm. Lorelai looked over at him as they slowed, meandering down toward the bridge. "So, that was nice, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was."

"Just so you know, Sy may talk tough, but he's highly susceptible to guilt," she told him.

"Good to know."

"And Taylor, he's a blackmailer's dream. Little did he know, I was willing to go as far as to threaten to put a major hurt on his candy sales, not just the Pop Tarts," she said with a nod.

"Thank you," he said with a soft chuckle.

Their shoes fell heavy on the weathered wood of the footbridge, echoing in the early afternoon quiet. Lorelai glanced over at him and said, "Huh. Even the park has an afternoon lull."

Luke didn't answer. Instead, he slowed to a stop about halfway across the bridge. When Lorelai turned to look at him, he gazed out across the lake. "When I was little, my dad and I used to go fishing almost every night during the summer," he said quietly as he raised his cup and took a sip of his beer.

"Yeah?"

Luke nodded, licking the thin sheen of foam from his lip as he continued to stare into the distance. "He'd close the store, and after dinner we'd come down here and fish until dark. Sit right here," he added as he pointed to the edge of the bridge.

"That sounds nice."

"It was."

Lorelai gave his arm another gentle squeeze and said, "We should sit down."

Luke smiled affectionately as he turned to look at her and then nodded, reaching for her beer as he gestured for her to go ahead. They settled on the edge of the bridge, sitting shoulder to shoulder; their feet dangling mere inches over the surface of the water. Luke shifted slightly, tugging at the crease in his suit pants as he tried to get comfortable. "We'd bring a radio. It was this ancient transistor that my dad refused to give up. It was held together with duct tape, but he said it got better reception for the Sox games than any new radio that he bought," Luke told her.

"He was probably right."

"Probably," he conceded. "We'd sit out here and listen to the game while we fished."

"That must have been like heaven for you," she teased, bumping him with her shoulder.

Luke ducked his head as he laughed quietly. "Yeah." He set his beer aside as he gestured to the lake. "There used to be lots of fish in here. Not so much anymore. I'd like to think it's because dad and I pulled 'em all out, but it's more likely that Taylor is leasing it to some other town for their toxic waste dump so we can rebuild this bridge with the proceeds," he grumbled.

Lorelai laughed and said, "Then we can have fundraisers to clean up the lake."

"It's all part of his master plan," Luke said darkly.

"I hear there's a plot to plant huge gardens next year, just to mess with his produce sales," Lorelai told him, her lips curving smugly as she raised her cup to her lips.

Luke snorted. "I'd pay to see you picking beans."

Lorelai shook her head and laughed. "I thought I'd just rent out a corner of the backyard to the highest bidder."

"Very forward thinking," he said with a nod.

"Well, the line of people who like to see Taylor turn the color of an eggplant grows exponentially every day."

Luke nodded, taking another sip of his beer as he turned back to the opposite bank. "Sometimes Louie would come out with us. Never could figure out why. He hated fishing. Complained the whole time. Now I know that he did it because he liked to bait my dad even more than a hook," he said quietly.

"I hear brothers will do that."

Luke shook his head and dropped his gaze to the cup in his hand. "I want to think I'm a lot like my dad, but I think I _am_ more like Louie," he said gruffly.

Lorelai watched as he took a deep drink of his beer. "That isn't you, Luke," she said firmly.

"More Louie than my dad," he mumbled. He cut his eyes toward her and said hesitantly, "But I don't wanna be. I don't wanna be that miserable, that alone." He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "I need to, I want to thank you. For all that you did. I know I'm not really good at sayin' this stuff, but I really appreciate it," he said sincerely.

"That's what friends do," she said softly.

Luke turned to look at her. "Yeah. That's what friends do," he repeated quietly.

Their eyes met and held for a moment, and then Luke turned away, looking back out over the gently rippling water to the other side of the lake. His fingers tightened around his cup as he stared at the shore; half wishing he was over there, on safer ground instead of sitting there half-buzzed on the old footbridge next to Lorelai Gilmore.

Lorelai searched the opposite bank, wondering what could possibly be holding his interest in the tall, winter-yellowed grass. "Hey, Luke?" she asked, not entirely certain of what would come next, but knowing that this time someone had to say something.

"Yeah," he answered, not daring to look at her.

She turned toward him, studying the line of his profile carefully as she measured her words. "Do you ever think about being more than friends? You and me?"

Luke blinked, stunned by both her question and the nearly timid tone of her voice. He turned toward her and found himself caught up in those bright blue eyes once more. He tried to form the word 'yes'. His brain screamed the command to make his lips move, but as he saw the uncertainty flicker in her eyes, he knew that the word would never be enough.

He leaned in, quickly closing the few inches between them, and kissed her softly.

Lorelai inhaled softly, but before her mind could register what had happened, she saw his long, dark eyelashes sweep upwards, and his deep blue of his eyes on her.

"Every day," Luke said quietly, carefully enunciating each word.

"Really?" she whispered.

"Yeah."

"Me too. I mean, I've thought about it too," Lorelai confessed softly. Her lips quirked at the corners as she saw that slow, sexy smile spread over his face. "That's good, right?" she asked as she reached up, unable to resist brushing the creases that fanned from the corners of his eyes with the pad of her finger.

"I guess so," he agreed, his voice pitched low and deep as she leaned in again. Luke brushed her lips with his, testing the waters, trying to be patient, giving her a chance to pull back. When she didn't, he pressed his lips to hers, letting them glide over them before he deepened the kiss, capturing her lower lip between his. Luke rocked back slightly to gauge her reaction and held his breath for her verdict.

Lorelai smiled and said, "You drank the punch."

Luke reared back. "Well, you gave it to me," he responded defensively.

Lorelai's smile widened as she said, "Your breath is a hundred proof."

"Aw, geez," he groaned as he turned away and started to push to his feet.

Lorelai grabbed his arm to stop him, pulling him back down with all of her strength. "I drank it too," she assured him as he resisted. When Luke scowled at her she laughed. "The only difference is that I ate. You didn't eat anything did you? You're running on fruit punch and grain alcohol."

Luke's frown deepened as he grumbled, "This is getting off to a great start."

Lorelai beamed as she leaned in and kissed his cheek, butterflies taking flight in her stomach as his rough stubble prickled her lips. "I think so," she said with an emphatic nod. "Sit," she ordered as she tugged on his arm again.

Luke dropped down onto his butt and reached for his beer. "Might as well go all the way," he said with a smirk as he toasted her with the plastic cup.

"On the first date? What kind of a girl do you think I am?" she gasped.

Luke choked on his beer, dribbling a little bit onto his chin and wiping it quickly with the back of his hand. "I didn't mean…" he sputtered.

"I know," she said as she gave his arm a pat and then released it. "Only a true friend would say that," she pointed out as she reached into the pocket of her flowered blazer and pulled out a box of green Tic-Tacs. She rattled the mints in their plastic container and said, "Karl Malden should have told us never to leave home without these babies," as she flipped the top open. She extracted one tiny mint and held it up to his lips.

Luke gave it a dubious glance and asked, "You think that'll do it?"

"Never underestimate the power of a Tic Tac, they may be tiny, but they get the job done. And, they're only one and a half calories," she added, holding up the box as if she were auditioning to be their spokesperson. "I know how concerned you are about what you eat."

Luke rolled his eyes as he parted his lips and allowed her to feed him the mint. Lorelai grinned and scooted a little closer to him. "I'll have one too, just to be safe," she said as she dumped a handful of mints into her palm and then popped them into her mouth.

"Nice."

Lorelai giggled and held offered him the box. "Want more?"

"No thanks," he said gruffly.

Lorelai sucked deeply on the mints and then began to crunch them loudly. She caught Luke's grimace and asked, "Changed your mind yet?"

"Getting there."

Lorelai swallowed what was left of the Tic Tacs. "Well, you had your chance," she said as she reached out and cupped the back of his neck, her fingers sliding into his soft curls as she pressed her mouth lightly to his once more. "Let's give this another shot," she murmured against his lips, and then parted her own slightly.

He didn't hesitate. He touched the tip of his tongue to her lip, and then leaned in closer, deepening the kiss. Her tongue tentatively touched his, and he angled his head, reaching to pull her tightly into his arms. His tongue circled hers lazily, taking his time, drinking her in, kissing her just as thoroughly as she would expect from Luke Danes. Lorelai sighed into his mouth, desperate to move closer too. She leaned forward, almost knocking him back with her sudden burst of ardor, and definitely knocking her cup of beer over onto his leg.

Luke pulled back; a bewildered frown replaced the initial flash of panic on his face as the liquid seeped into his suit pants. "Oh crap, I'm sorry," Lorelai cried as she swiped ineffectually at his thigh as what beer that hadn't soaked the leg of his pants ran down between the old wooden slats. "Very smooth, Gilmore," she muttered under her breath as she bunched the fabric in her hand as if to wring the moisture out.

He laughed and said, "Not the first time a girl has dumped her drink on me." When she released the fabric and then began to smooth it with her palm, her fingers trailing over his inner thigh, Luke stilled her hand with his. "It's okay." Lorelai looked up at him, and his eyes lit mischievously as he said, "Usually I don't get the, uh, helpful clean up. Thanks."

A bubble of laughter burst from her lips, and Lorelai shook her head as her cheeks colored slightly. "My pleasure," she said with an impish smile.

"We could argue that."

"We can argue most anything," she pointed out.

"True," he agreed as his fingers closed around hers.

She cocked her head and asked, "So after they spill their drinks on you, do they offer to get you out of those wet clothes?"

Luke barked a laugh, tipping his head back to look up at the clear blue sky. "No," he stated unequivocally.

Lorelai smiled, unreasonably satisfied by his answer. "Give it another try, or have you had enough?" she asked shyly.

Luke turned his face to her and said, "Not enough," as he let go of her hand. He framed her face with his hands, watching as she tipped her lips up to his, and her eyelids drifted shut. He brushed his thumb gently over her lower lip, watching as her lips puckered and kissed the pad of his thumb lightly. "I'm kissing you," he whispered in an awed tone and then covered her lips with his.

Lorelai moaned softly as she opened her mouth, inviting him in as his fingers trailed slowly over her jaw to her neck. She slid her tongue over his, tasting the remnants of fruit punch and alcohol lingering just beneath the hint of spearmint, and winding her arms around his neck. As she leaned in, there was a loud crinkling sound, and then the plastic cup squashed between their legs slipped up and popped free, tumbling into the lake with a soft plop.

She felt Luke's soft snort of disbelief, and began to laugh. Still pressing her lips to his, she cradled the back of his head, holding him their as their laughter tangled just as surely as their tongues had moment before.

"We suck at this," he said in an incredulous tone.

"Yeah."

"We should get out of here," he whispered, but still did not pull away.

"Hmm," she hummed in agreement before capturing his lower lip with hers and pulling on it gently.

"Or not," he amended.

"No, we should go," Lorelai murmured as she pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"I don't wanna," he said gruffly.

"It's broad daylight. We're in the middle of town," she reminded him as she kissed the other side of his mouth.

"Then stop kissing me," he grumbled.

"I'm having a hard time with that," she said with a sly smile, and then pecked another kiss to his lips.

"You're not the only one."

"But we should stop," she said, pulling away at last. Her fingers tangled in his hair, letting the silky curls slip and slide against her skin as she blinked at him. "Wanna walk?"

Luke's eyes bored into hers as he answered, "In a minute."

She pulled back slightly, tipping her head questioningly, and then smiled when he simply raised his eyebrows pointedly. "Oh."

Luke rolled his eyes and reached up, gently removing her hands from his neck, and then brushing a kiss to her knuckles before lowering then to the safety of her own lap. He watched as she turned away, a faint pink blush tingeing her cheeks even as a pleased smile lit her face. He looked down at the water beneath their feet and frowned. "Where'd the cup go?"

Lorelai gestured to the faint current rippling the surface. "Thataway," she said as she jerked a thumb toward the opposite side of the bridge.

"I should get it out of there."

Lorelai scrambled to her feet and peered over the other side of the bridge. "Afraid Taylor's toxic waste will eat through the plastic?" she asked as she moved to the opposite side.

"Yep."

She spotted the cup floating lazily out from under the bridge and knelt down to retrieve it. "I'm betting you're more worried about the littering fine."

"It was your beer," he pointed out.

"Which I got from you. And the cup," she pointed out as she leaned over the edge of the bridge.

"Hey, I'll get it," Luke said as he scooted over to her.

"I can't quite reach it," Lorelai answered.

Luke knelt on the bridge and then lowered his chest to the edge. He reached down and snagged the rim of the cup between two fingers. "Got it," he grunted as he pushed back up and sat back on his heels.

Lorelai looked down at the dirt smeared on his dress shirt and shook her head pityingly. "You're a mess."

Luke glanced down and then brushed ineffectually at the streaks of dirt. "Yeah, I guess."

Lorelai laughed as she pointed to the lake water dripping from the cup he held onto his other pant leg. "Come on, let's get you out of those wet clothes," she teased as she pushed to her feet and peered down at him, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Not on the first date, I'm not that easy," he growled as he rocked to his feet and stood up, unfolding his body slowly. Lorelai laughed as she picked up his cup and downed the rest of its contents. "Hey, that was mine," he pointed out.

"I figure I already have your cooties," she said proudly as she handed him the empty cup. She slipped her hand into his arm again and leaned close as she said, "Besides, I know where there's more."

Luke looked over at her and then shook his head slightly. "Nah, I don't wanna go back there yet. Let's walk," he said as he started for the nearest trash can to deposit the cups.

When he started for the trail that circled the lake, Lorelai pulled in the opposite direction. "Let's go this way," she suggested.

"What's that way?" he asked with a perplexed frown.

"Stuff that isn't that way," she answered easily.

When Luke shrugged and changed directions, Lorelai gave his arm a squeeze and then grinned at him. "I like your arm."

"I noticed."

"Does it bother you?" she asked.

"No, not like that," he said, pressing his arm to his side and trapping her hand there.

"How does it bother you?" she teased as she pulled him toward Pear Street.

"How do you think?" he growled and Lorelai giggled. They lapsed into silence as they wound their way down one fruit and then onto a tree street. Luke cleared his throat softly and then asked, "Do you want to go to a movie or something this week?"

Lorelai smiled. "Are you asking me on a date?" she asked flirtatiously.

"Wasn't that the point of the whole more than friends thing?"

Lorelai shrugged and said, "I don't know, was it?"

"What does that mean?" Luke asked as he jerked to a stop.

Lorelai looked up as he turned to face her. "I don't know. I wasn't sure if the more than friends thing was the kissing part. I mean, technically, that would make us more than friends, and if it goes beyond the kissing, that would make us a lot more than friends, but it doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be seeing movies together. What kind of movie?" she asked in a rush.

Luke shook his head, trying to catch up. "I don't know," he stammered.

"I mean, you know that I like movies, but I don't even know if you like movies. Do you like movies?" When Luke nodded, she went on, "Well, what kind of movies do you like? I can see just about anything, but we should probably be a little careful about what we pick out. No one wants to go see something like _Body Heat_ on a first date, right? Talk about uncomfortable," she mumbled.

"You pick."

Lorelai shook her head adamantly. "That's too much pressure. I have no idea what you'll like. You pick, but choose carefully," she warned.

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "How about dinner instead?"

"I love dinner!" Lorelai said with a happy smile.

She pulled on his arm to make him start walking again. "So, this is a dating more than friends?" she asked cautiously.

"If that's what you want too," he hedged.

Lorelai glanced over at him and asked, "And if I said I just wanted some benefits with my friendship?"

Luke hesitated a beat too long before he shrugged and tried to sound casual as he said, "Okay."

"I like the dating idea," Lorelai said with a smug smile as she hugged his arm a little tighter. "I don't want you thinking that I think you're too easy."

"Thank you," he said with a chuckle. "Where are we going?" he asked as she took another left.

"Shortcut."

"Shortcut to where? We're supposed to be just walking," he pointed out.

"To a place with beer," she said enticingly. "It's going to get a little hairy in a minute, but I want you to remember that you're a man and he's a Pomeranian. I expect he'll act like a Pomeranian when we cut through his yard, so I expect you to act like a man."

"What?"

"Shortcut to the shortcut," she explained as she slid her hand down his arm and laced her fingers through his. "Ready?" she asked hopefully.

"For what?"

"Come on," Lorelai said as she tugged him onto the scrubby lawn surrounding a tiny white house with peeling paint. They made it about ten feet before a puffy reddish ball of fur flew around the corner of the house heading straight for them. Without breaking stride, Lorelai looked down at the yapping dog and said, "Hey, Clancy. Almost summer, better get used to it all over again, huh? Clancy and I, we go way back," she told Luke.

"I see," Luke muttered as he scowled at the barking dog.

"Just keep going. If he gets a hold on you, he's got jaws like a pit bull. That's what happened to my grey Donna Karan pants."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Luke said as they covered the ground with long strides. "Where are we going?"

"Through there," Lorelai said as she nodded to a narrow opening in the hedges.

"Why?"

"To get to the beer. Just keep moving," she reminded him as she ducked her head and began to push through the shrubbery. "Bye, Clancy!" she called over her shoulder as she pressed their joined hands into the small of her back and all but yanked Luke through the too tiny opening.

Luke pushed through the shrubs, cursing under his breath. "Okay, I'm a little bigger than you," he complained as he pulled his hand from hers and began to brush at his already dirty clothes.

Lorelai turned around and burst out laughing when she saw him. "Aw, poor guy," she cooed as she reached up to brush some stray leaves from his hair, smoothing the tufts back into place.

Luke scowled as he looked up. He placed his hands on his hips and tried to work up to a full blown glare, but found it impossible when her hands when fluttering over hair, his neck, his shoulders. He bit his bottom lip as he looked over her shoulder and spotted a familiar back porch.

"This is your house."

"Yep. The place with the beer," she said with a nod. "Told you I'd get us here."

Luke jerked his thumb toward the hedges they had just plowed through and said, "That little shortcut saves what? A block and a half?"

"Yeah, but if you go around you don't get the adrenaline rush of beating Clancy," she pointed out.

"You get a rush out of besting a dog that stands eight inches high?"

"Gotta take my thrills where I can get them," Lorelai said as she started across the lawn.

As Luke followed her up the porch steps she said, "Rory was going to help Jess clean up the stuff at the diner and lock up before she went to Lane's. I'm assuming that you weren't planning to open tonight," she said as she threw her hip against back door and stumbled into the kitchen.

Luke was about to tell her that he had planned on opening for the dinner rush, but stopped when she turned around and waved him into the house. "That's fine."

"Good," she said as she opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer.

As she let the refrigerator door slam behind her, Luke leaned back against the counter and stared at her, wondering how she could possibly look as fresh as she had when she appeared at his diner that morning.

"What?" Lorelai asked self-consciously.

Luke looked down at his own dirt streaked and damp clothing and shook his head. "Nothing."

"So, what night did you want to have dinner?" she asked as she approached, holding out one of the bottles for him to take.

"Tonight, tomorrow, you pick a night, I'll make it work," he answered without hesitation, and without taking the proffered beer.

Lorelai looked down at the two beers she still held. "You don't want this?" she asked.

"Nope," he answered with a slow smile.

"Tomorrow?" she asked, her fingers tightening around the necks of the bottles as he continued to stare at her. "I already told Rory to pick up Chinese food from Al's on her way home."

"Tomorrow is fine," Luke said with a nod, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Are you going to kiss me again?" When he blinked slowly and then nodded, Lorelai held up the unopened bottles and said, "I should put these down, huh?"

"Yep."

"Okay," Lorelai said as she placed both beers on the counter next to him. She stepped back and looked from the bottles to his face and then back again. "Maybe we should move away from them," she suggested with a nervous smile.

"Good idea," Luke agreed as he pushed away from the counter and reached for her. He cupped her cheek in one hand as the other arm wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her up against him. His fingers slipped into her hair, running through the long, straight strands until they cascaded to her shoulder once more. "You ready?" he asked in a husky voice.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she whispered as he lowered his lips to hers.

He kissed her softy, his lips sliding over hers, teasing the corners of her mouth as she had teased his just a short time before. When she sighed, he captured the tail end of it with his mouth, parting her lips with his tongue as he tipped her head back, kissing her passionately.

Lorelai moaned as his tongue swept into her mouth. She clawed at his shoulder, clinging to the fabric of his shirt as she hung on tight, willingly letting him take what he wanted. "So much better," she breathed as his lips trailed off to her cheek, her chin, her jaw.

Luke opened his mouth, pressing his lips to the tender skin just beneath her ear, and touching the tip of his tongue to the pulse that throbbed there. When he sucked the soft flesh into is mouth, Lorelai grasped both of his arms and began to walk backward. She managed to skirt the table, but bumped into the edge of the counter as she tried to pull him into the living room. Luke's arm tightened protectively around her waist as he dipped his head to the curve of her neck and nipped gently. Lorelai pushed her hands into his hair, holding him there as she fell back against the archway.

"My room is a mess," she whispered as he pinned her there, his hand skimming over her ribcage, his thumb brushing the side of her breast.

"It always is," he answered as he moved to the other side of her neck and smothered her skin in hot, open-mouthed kisses.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed, tilting her head so that he could get to more of her. She felt the buttons on her jacket give way, and hummed her approval as his hand slipped inside, his fingers spreading wide across her back as his tongue traced the hollow of her collarbone. "Wanna see it?" she asked breathlessly.

Luke chuckled softly as he pulled away, lifting his head to look at her. "Yes," he said without a shadow of a doubt.

"Okay," Lorelai whispered, her gaze steady on his as she reached for his hand.

She led him to the steps, glancing back only once as she began to climb them. When they stepped into her room, she whirled around to face him. "This would be a lot more than friends," she said nervously.

"Too much more?" he asked gently.

Lorelai flashed a quick smile and then wrinkled her nose slightly as she said, "Too much and not enough."

"Okay," he replied, drawing the word out as he tried to puzzle out what she could possibly mean.

"This is it, Luke. If this goes any further, we won't be able to just laugh it off and say, 'Hey, remember that time we got tipsy on Patty's punch and made out,' you know what I mean?" she said uncertainly.

"I'm not tipsy," Luke said gruffly.

Lorelai gave him a wan smile and said, "Me either, but we could blame it on the punch."

"Do you want to?"

Lorelai shook her head slowly and said, "It's not the punch."

"No."

"Not that it isn't powerful. Very potent stuff," she amended quickly.

"Dangerous," Luke agreed.

"I think this might be more dangerous," Lorelai said softly. "Are you nervous? I'm nervous," she babbled.

"I'm, uh, a little nervous," he admitted.

"Maybe you should kiss me again," she suggested. "That seems to work."

Luke nodded slowly as he processed her suggestion. "Or, we could go back downstairs and pretend that I just came up here to see how messy your room is."

"No."

"Yes, it is extremely messy."

Lorelai shook her head quickly as she said, "No, I don't want to pretend. No, I don't want to blame it on the punch. And no, I don't want to go back downstairs. Kiss me, damn it!" she ordered, all but stomping her foot.

Luke pulled her to him and cupped the back of her head as she tipped it back, her eyes fixed on him. Pouring all that he had into the kiss, he parted her lips, threading his fingers into her hair. The slippery fabric of her open jacket rasped against his shirt as she moved closer, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He hands splayed over his back, pushing the wilted cotton of his shirt up as their tongues circled and danced. He pressed into her soft curves, and his hands fell to her shoulders, pushing the blazer over the curve of her shoulders and pulling it down to her elbows. He lifted his head as she lowered her arms, letting it slide to the floor as she lifted her chin to look him square in the eye.

"It's not too late," he rasped.

"I think it was probably too late a long time ago," she answered.

Lorelai reached for the hem of her bright pink shirt and began to pull it up, shifting the material between their bodies as she refused to move away from him. Luke caught the edge of the shirt and helped her pull it up over her head. He tossed it aside and caught her arms before she could lower them, skimming his hands along the delicate skin beneath them until they came to rest on her ribcage.

He looked down at the gentle swell of her breasts and wet his dry lips as she lowered her arms. "Really too late now," he murmured as he ducked his head and pressed his lips to her bare shoulder.

"I did shave under there this morning, didn't I?" she asked in a breathy whisper.

Luke chuckled as he kissed his way along her collarbone. "Yes, but I couldn't care less."

"Good to know," Lorelai said with a relieved sigh. She slipped her hands between their bodies and began to unbutton his shirt. "Now, let's get you out of these wet clothes," she said coyly.

Luke raised his head and smirked as he watched as she deftly freed button after button. Lorelai parted the shirt and ran her hands over the smooth white t-shirt he wore beneath, causing him to suck in a breath as her hands fell to his waistband and she pulled both shirts free. Suddenly feeling far too confined, Luke yanked at his collar, grasping the undershirt too and he pulled them up and off. "There," he said as he dropped them to the floor and pulled her against him once more.

"Mmm," Lorelai hummed, rubbing against him as he pecked soft teasing kisses to her lips.

"Good?" Luke asked as he opened the clasp on her bra.

Lorelai laughed as she felt the elastic give. "You are good."

"Motivated," he answered as he pulled the straps from her shoulders.

Lorelai rocked back on her heels slightly and let him pull the bra off, watching as his lips parted at the sight of her bare breasts. She curled back into his chest, closing her eyes as his soft hair tickled her sensitive nipples into aching points. "Small," she whispered as she pressed her lips to his neck.

"Perfect," he answered as his hands roamed the smooth skin of her back.

She nipped at his earlobe playfully. "I'm not gonna win any wet t-shirt contests," she said with a self-conscious laugh.

"Good," Luke said as his hands moved to the sides and gently pushed her away from him.

"You could," she told him as she ran her hands over his muscular chest.

"Shh," he whispered as he lowered his head, urging her to lift hers so that he could kiss her again. Lorelai melted into the kiss, letting go of any insecurities she may have clung to as he filled his hands with her breasts and caressed her reverently. His mouth covered hers; kissing her hungrily as his hands grew more insistent. Lorelai moaned as he pinched her nipples, gently pulling on the tightly furled tips and then soothing them with his warm palms.

"Bed," she gasped as they broke for air. She grasped his arm with one hand as she swiped at the clothing, purses and hairstyling aids that littered the bed futilely. "I really gotta learn to put stuff away," she muttered as she relinquished her hold on him and bent clear the bed.

When she stood up, she bumped right into the hard wall of Luke's chest. "Oh my," she murmured as he snaked one arm around her waist. Without missing a beat, he swept her hair aside, holding it there with his free hand as he plundered the curve of her neck and teased the muscle in her shoulder with his teeth.

"Luke," she whispered as she reached behind and held him there with her hands in his hair.

"Hmm?"

"Just trying it out."

"How's that working for you?" he asked as reached for her breasts once more, crushing them into his palms as he sucked on her neck, grinding his hips against her soft bottom.

"So good, so good. Who knew it would work so good?" she panted.

"I did," Luke answered as he lifted his head and his hands slipped to her waist to turn her around. "I did," he repeated as she stared back at him unblinkingly.

"You and my mother," she corrected.

"Not now," he admonished.

"Not now," she agreed as she reached for the buckle on his belt. She slid it open, her eyes never wavering from his. She unhooked his suit pants, and he stood immobile, letting her take the lead. She slowly drew the zipper down, her knuckles brushing the hard flesh below, and smiled as his knees buckled slightly.

As Lorelai began to push his pants from his hips, Luke covered her hands with his to stop her. "Hang on," he said as he quickly toed off his shoes.

"Oh, good idea," Lorelai said as she followed suit. "Better?" she asked as she began to ease his pants down again. Luke lifted his hands and raised them in mock surrender as he quirked an eyebrow at her. She laughed and shoved them down, smiling as they pooled at his feet.

"Smooth," he grumbled as he pulled back and quickly extracted his feet from his pants and socks.

Emboldened, Lorelai grinned as she said, "If you think that was good, watch this," as she opened her pants and pushed them down, dragging her panties down with them.

"You win," Luke said gruffly.

Lorelai kicked them aside and ran her hands over his chest as she said, "I thought that might do it." Her fingertips danced over his abs as she worked her way lower, and then hooked her fingers into the elastic of his boxer briefs. She pulled them down slowly, warmed by his deep groan as his erection sprang free. Once then fell past his knees, she left him to finish the task, too distracted to see it through.

Luke stepped out of his underwear just as she wrapped her long fingers around him and stroked him gently. Lorelai looked up in time to see his eyes roll back as he closed them, humming low and deep in his throat. She watched as her hand slid the length of him, her thumb skimming the bead of moisture from the very tip and massaging it into his velvety skin.

She swallowed hard and lifted her eyes to his face. "You'll still be my friend, right?" she asked softly.

Luke's eyes popped open and he nodded; leaning forward to kiss her lingeringly. "Lorelai, I'll be anything you want me to be," he said quietly but firmly.

"You'll have to be both," she warned.

"I can do that."

"You hate change," she teased him gently.

Luke reached down to still her hand. "Some change," he told her frankly. "I can honestly tell you that I don't hate this at all."

Lorelai's smile was quick as she watched him lift her palm to his lips. He kissed it gently, his eyes boring into hers over the curled tips of her fingers. "I don't hate it either," she whispered. When he laughed, her heart raced. "You should do that more though."

"Kiss your hand?" he asked as he folded her hand into his and pressed them to his chest.

"Laugh like that."

"I'll work on it."

"Do that," Lorelai said and then kissed him firmly. "Now, I think we should get on the bed," she whispered conspiratorially.

Luke kissed her again, this time propelling her back onto the mattress as he followed her down, catching his weight on his hands and knee. "Like that?"

"We're sideways," she said with a sly smile.

"You're twisted."

"And you like me," she retorted.

"No, you like me. You said so," he argued as Lorelai shifted around until she rested on the pillows.

"Yes, you, Elvis and alien autopsies."

"Glad to know I'm first."

"Well, you never know what I'll say when I see Elvis at the 7-11," she told him solemnly.

"True."

"I do like you, though," she assured him.

"Good. I like you too. A lot," he added for good measure as he dropped soft kisses to the freckled skin of her chest. "I really like the freckles," he murmured as he moved a little lower, nuzzling the curve of her breast.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. Luke pressed his lips softly to the valley between her breasts and hummed against her skin. He breathed deeply as he ran his hands down over her hips to her thighs, and stroked them until Lorelai bent her knees and drew them up to cradle him. "You have a sweater. Red. Got the neck that goes like this," he said as he trailed the tip of his index finger over her chest, outlining a deep scooped neck.

"Yeah," Lorelai confirmed.

"Makes me nuts," he muttered and then began to kiss his way up over the curve of her other breast.

"We don't have much time," Lorelai whispered, almost breathless with anticipation by the time his warm breath teased her taut nipple.

"I don't wanna rush this."

"We have to. Um, Rory," she said softly.

Luke closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He looked up for a second, as if to say something to her, and then abruptly lowered his head again, capturing her nipple and drawing it deep into his mouth.

"Oh!" Lorelai gasped as she bucked up off of the bed, clutching his head to her. "A little warning," she laughed.

"What'd ya think I was doin' here?" he grumbled as he moved to the other breast. He cocked an eyebrow at her and asked with exaggerated patience, "Are you ready, Lorelai?"

Lorelai swatted his shoulder, and then pressed back into the pillows as she pulled his head down to her breast. "Shut up," she ordered with a laugh. Luke chuckled even as he pulled her nipple into his mouth, the vibration of it rocketing to her core as he laved her tenderly. And this time, it came out in a moan, "Ohhhh."

Luke continued to laugh softly as he kissed his way along her stomach, nuzzling the undersides of her breasts teasingly as he traced the marks left behind by her bra with his tongue. Lorelai squeezed his sides with her thighs, and ran her hands through his rumpled hair as she softly called, "Luke?"

"Huh uh," he grunted, pushing her leg wider as her pressed his chest against her. Lorelai moaned and circled her hips, desperate for the friction she needed.

"But I wanna touch you too," she protested.

"In a minute," he promised as he slid down between her legs. He caressed her thighs, kneading the taut muscles gently as he brushed his nose across the dark curls that covered her sex.

Lorelai exhaled a long shaky breath, and then had to force herself to draw another as he looked up at her, each puff of his breath stirring her curls. When she met his eyes, he lowered his head, dipping his tongue into her folds, and watching as a strangled groan escaped her parted lips. He closed his eyes, sinking into her damp folds, tracing them with his tongue and teasing her gently as she bucked against him, anxious for more. His hands tightened on her thighs, the pads of his fingers digging into the smooth flesh as he pressed deeper, thrusting his tongue into her.

Lorelai gasped his name, pushing against him wantonly as his tongue circled her clit and then he pushed into her once more. Luke could feel her thighs tremble with barely contained need as his hands pressed her legs open wider still. Lorelai whimpered and he drew her into his mouth and sucked gently, pressing his index finger into her. She clutched at the quilt that covered her bed, fisting it into her hands as he stroked her slowly and steadily, setting a deliberate pace that drove her mad as he drove her up.

"Inside me," she panted. "I want you inside me."

Luke squeezed his eyes shut, lifting his head and pressing his mouth to her stomach as he rasped, "Please, god, tell me you have a condom."

"Condom?"

"I wasn't really planning this when I woke up this morning," he said as he pressed fervent kisses to her stomach. "Let me…" he trailed off as he pressed his mouth to her once more, drawing her clit against his tongue.

"I'm on the pill," Lorelai blurted.

Luke looked up and asked, "You sure?"

"I should know, I take it every night," she said with a breathless laugh.

"I mean, are you sure that's okay? With you," he stumbled.

"Roll over," she ordered.

"What?"

"Roll over," she said impatiently as she pulled on his arms.

"Okay." Luke looked up at her with a puzzled frown and then pushed up over her and rolled onto his back.

"This is the part where the 'shut up' comes into play, okay?" Lorelai said as she scrambled to straddle his hips. She took him into her hand and stroked him lightly, pushing him up against her damp curls.

"Okay."

"We're not gonna debate it, we're not gonna discuss it to death, and we're not going back," she told him as she rose up onto her knees. Lorelai positioned him at her entrance and then began to sink down slowly onto him. "We're just gonna do this," she whispered as she balanced herself with her hands on his stomach.

Luke groaned and pressed his head into the pillow as he looked up at her with heavily lidded eyes. "Tryin' to be considerate," he grumbled as he grasped her hips, pulling her down as he pushed up into her.

"I know, and it was very sweet," she said sincerely. "Now shut up."

Luke couldn't help it. He smiled because she smiled when she said it. When she looked down at their joined bodies and then back up at him in shock, he laughed as a tiny laugh of disbelief tumbled from her lips. And when she began to move, she grasped his forearms, squeezing them gently with each rise and fall of her hips.

"Lorelai," he said in a deep husky voice, and she looked up at him questioningly. He caught her wrists and pulled her down on top of him. "Commere," he said softly as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she continued to move. She straightened her legs, and his hands claimed her bottom, guiding her firmly but gently as he moved deep inside of her.

"You feel so good," she murmured, pressing her lips to his neck.

"Can I talk now?" he asked in a gravelly voice.

"Sure."

"You feel incredible," he groaned as he thrust his hips, pulling hers down firmly.

"Thanks," Lorelai said with a laugh.

"Shut up," Luke grunted as he pulled her down and kissed her firmly.

His lips curved against hers as they clung together, sharing each shaky breath and swallowing each other's gasps. When Lorelai tensed and coiled around him, her muscles heavy and taut, Luke kissed her softly and used his hands and hips to drive her on to where she needed to be. And when she cried out at last, he was there to catch her as her body grew lax and liquid; melting into him as he desperately sought his own release. She pressed her lips to his, steadying him as he shuddered, her eyes locked on his until they popped open.

She smiled, and he laughed softly; he squeezed her arm, still too weak for words, and she wrapped hers around him, holding him tight. Lorelai pressed her face into the crook of his neck, unabashedly resting all of her weight on him. She laced her fingers through his and pressed his arms up over his head. Luke remained in that very spot as she propped her forearms on his chest and tensed her muscles around him as she grinned down at him. "Like having my own Gumby doll," she teased.

"Keep doing that and I'll let you do whatever you want to me. At least, for about ten minutes," he quickly qualified.

Lorelai's smile widened. "We were good, weren't we?" she asked with a smug smile.

Luke laughed, the sound of it setting the butterflies loose in her stomach again. "Yeah, we were good."

"Hey, do me a favor?" she asked as she toyed absently with the fine hair on his chest.

"Sure."

"Okay, and I can say this because we're friends, right? And there's no expectation whatsoever, it's purely hypothetical," she cautioned sternly.

"Uh oh."

"No, seriously, I need you to promise me something."

"What?"

"Well, _if_, and that's a big if, because I know me and I know you, but _if_, this keeps being, you know, good. And many, many moons from now, when things have been good for a while and we're both really good with the goodness…" she said by way of preface.

"Got it, things are good. This is so hypothetical it's hanging out with the aliens and Elvis and waiting for an autopsy. Get to the point," he prodded impatiently.

"You have to promise me that if things get serious, we won't do it in the diner," she said in a rush.

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "Do what in the diner?"

"You know, that thing that people do when they're really serious about their, uh, other person." When he blinked up at her, she blew out an exasperated breath. "The thing that people do where their family and friends all go to a place to hear them say things to each other and make promises about being together for a really long time," she said as she gestured with her hand, encouraging him to catch on.

Luke laughed and asked, "Are you talking about a wedding?" He snorted and said, "I'm not worried about that, in the diner or anywhere else, considering that you can't even say the word."

"I was trying to be subtle. This is kind of our first date and I didn't want you to think I had expectations. And, I don't want to see your bare, albeit fine, ass beating a path out the door at the moment. I just want to make it clear that if things eventually go in that general direction, I don't want burgers and fries for a wedding dinner. Well, actually, I'd love that, but I can't have that because that would mean my mother was right about that too, and I can't let her be right about _everything_," she rambled.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked.

"The Romanovs," she answered soberly.

"No firing squads, no burgers and fries, no wedding in the diner," he repeated back to her.

"Thank you."

"What was she right about?" he asked with a knowing smile.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him and said, "That mushrooms would have been fun and whimsical and would suit Sookie's personality perfectly."

"Okay."

"And you. She was right about you. And me. You and me," she added.

Luke smiled as he ran his fingers through her silky straight hair. "I really like how you stumble over that."

"It's new!"

"I know," he said as he toyed with the ends of her hair. "How do you do this?" he asked as her hair tickled his chest.

"Do what?"

"It's curly, right? Naturally? How do you make it straight?"

Lorelai smiled as she nestled into his neck again, letting him run his hands through her hair. "Flat iron," she mumbled. "And a legion of products designed to tame it and force it to bend to my will."

"Seems like a lot of work."

"Yeah, I'm exhausted just thinking about it." Lorelai smiled against his neck. "You're comfortable."

"I'm glad one of us is," he grumbled as he flattened his hands to her back.

"We should get up," she said with a sigh.

Luke pressed her tightly to him. "In a minute."

"Do you want to stay and have dinner us? Do you like Chinese food?"

Luke blinked up at the ceiling and said cautiously, "I like Chinese food."

"You could stay and hang out with me and Rory. We can say it was our first date, that way you don't come off as being easy. A little revisionist history, if you will," she said as she pulled back to look at him. "Would you like to?" she asked hopefully.

"I'd like that."

Lorelai nodded and smiled. "You are easy, though," she said pointedly.

"I know."

"But you're a pretty good guy."

"Not so good," Luke said with a smirk.

"It was good for me."

"I meant that I don't always do the right thing," he said as he rolled his eyes.

"But you try. You try to do the right thing."

"Sometimes. Sometimes I do things I probably shouldn't do."

"Like what?" she asked cautiously.

Luke smiled and said, "Like run off with the girl I like in the middle of my uncle's wake. Like how, by some strange fluke, Lou Gehrig's rookie card may not have made it into that casket with Louie."

Lorelai gasped and said, "You are bad!"

"Willie Mays and Joe DiMaggio may have slipped out too," he admitted, laughing as she began to laugh.

"You pilfered King Tut's tomb?"

"Hey, it cost me another seven hundred bucks for King Tut to even be able to take his Johnny Unitas football with him," he said defensively.

Lorelai grinned and said, "You are a bad, bad man."

"Still like me?"

"Enough to run up to Poughkeepsie for a Slurpie with you," she answered promptly.

"We should get dressed," he said as he gave her bottom a playful pat.

"Gonna wear your new pith helmet for dinner?" she asked as she rolled off of him.

"Ha ha."

"Gas mask?" she prodded as he rolled up off of the bed and began searching for his underwear.

"Sent that with him."

"Antique dueling pistols?"

"Six feet under."

Lorelai rolled onto her side and propped her head up on her hand. "Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?" he answered as he adjusted the waistband on his underwear and looked around for his pants.

"I think your dad would be proud."

"You think?" he asked with a snort.

"You are a good man."

Luke froze for a moment, and then looked over at her. "Thank you," he said gruffly, holding his pants up in front of him.

"You're welcome," she said as she scooted off of the bed and pressed a quick, possessive kiss to his lips. "Besides, I'm sure he would have loved to have had those baseball cards too," she added as she sashayed toward the bathroom, peeking over her shoulder to see if he was looking.

Luke turned to watch her go; unable to take his eyes off of her, and patently unashamed of it. When she flashed a bright smile at him before closing the door, Luke smiled too, and began to pull on his pants. He shook his head slightly as he scrounged for his shirts, and then laughed quietly as he realized that Lorelai was right. His dad would have called Louie was a damn fool, and snatched those cards right out of the casket. He probably would have grabbed the football too.


	38. A Touch of Cinnamon

**A/N: First of all, thank you to everyone who responded to my query about **_**Packaged Goods**_**. I just wanted to be sure that the interest was still out there. I really appreciate your candor and encouragement. Secondly, real life has been a bit hectic this weekend, so this was the only update that I managed. I hope that the fact that this is the longest **_**Slip **_**to date will help to hold you until I can get to **_**Packaged Goods**_** this week. **

**This is for a very special friend who whispered the idea into my ear, and then let me run with it. Get comfortable, it's a marathon. Love and hugs to you all!**

**A Touch of Cinnamon**

Sookie smiled with anticipation as Luke placed their burgers in front of them. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Lorelai murmured distractedly. She looked up as Luke moved away and said to Sookie, "Life is a funny funny thing, huh?"

Sookie chortled and said, "Yeah I love that Jim Carrey."

"What?"

"Jim Carrey. He's just - he's just funny," Sookie replied with a helpless giggle.

'He is funny but I didn't mean funny, funny. I'm being philosophical," Lorelai explained.

"Oh. Very serious face. Jean-Paul Sartre," Sookie replied with a comically stern frown.

"I can't talk to you with that face," Lorelai said, exasperated.

"How do you guys get any work done?" Luke asked as he passed by, not bothering to pause for an answer.

"Who said we did?" Lorelai retorted.

"My mistake," Luke called back from the kitchen.

"Hey Luke? I hate to bug you again, but…"

"Yeah, I know, I'll get to them in the next day or two," Luke promised as he hurried past them once again on his way to the storeroom.

Sookie smirked and then rolled her eyes. "You don't even have to finish sentences. Now, that's funny." She turned back to Lorelai and asked, "So, why is life such a funny thing?"

"I met this amazing guy," Lorelai confided.

"Goody!"

"Yeah there's goody stuff about it but there's baddy stuff too. He's a teacher at Chilton. Max. You met him at the bake sale."

"Oh! He looked good."

"Yeah. Right. He's so sexy and smart and funny and he likes coffee," Lorelai said excitedly.

"God, he sounds perfect for you." Sookie frowned at her plate and then peered at Lorelai's as she asked, "Did you get onions?"

"No."

"Hey Luke! You forgot the onions," Sookie called to him.

"I'm just so mixed up though. You know this is a real crossroads kind of situation. It's like 'to perm or not to perm.' I'm really confused," she said plaintively.

"For Heaven's sake," Sookie muttered under her breath as she pushed off of her stool. She ducked behind the counter and began gathering a few odds and ends to garnish their plates as well as the plates sitting in front of the other customers. "Go ahead, I'm still listening. You were about to perm your hair," she prodded.

"I just want to do the right thing."

"I'm not sure I see what the problem is," Sookie commented, still bustling around behind the counter.

"Oh, there are many problems. First, I do not like to involve Rory in my personal life. I don't want her to have to deal with that. You know, I might bring some guy home and he might not be _the_ guy but then she gets all attached to him and then all of a sudden I decide that I don't like the way he eats or he hums incessantly or…"

"Or the way he smacks his lips or how his hair isn't really his," Sookie chimed in.

"Yeah. And then I break up with him and then Rory is the one who gets hurt," Lorelai said dejectedly.

"I totally understand."

"This guy is her teacher. I mean, there's no way to keep him out of her life. She sees him every day," Lorelai said, getting agitated. "And no matter how attracted I am to him, something keeps telling me 'No, no, no', you know?"

Sookie finished doctoring the customer on the next stool's open face turkey and then turned back to Lorelai. "You do know that Rory's not a baby anymore," she said gently.

"I know, that's what he said. Maybe I'm being too serious, right? Maybe I should loosen the rules a bit. I make the rules, right? But Rory. I mean, this affects her, really affects her. But, you're right, he's right, she isn't a baby anymore." Lorelai gnawed her lower lip for a moment. "Plus, be great to get...you know," she added as she raised her eyebrows suggestively as she took a sip of her Coke.

"What?" Sookie asked, leaning onto the counter.

"You know," Lorelai said slowly, trying to convey her meaning with her eyes.

Sookie shook her head slightly and gave her a befuddled smile. "No, I don't."

Lorelai sighed with impatience. "You know! He knows," she said in an exasperated tone, gesturing to the man with the open-faced turkey sandwich.

Sookie turned to look at him and asked, "You know?"

"Yeah I know," he answered.

"Sookie!" Luke shouted when he spotted her behind his counter.

Sookie quickly straightened up and said, "Hey. I was just looking for your paprika."

"What have I said about the counter?" he demanded as he hurried over to her.

"I know."

Luke took her by the shoulders and guided her back to the other side of the counter. "How the counter is a sacred space. _My_ sacred space," he emphasized. "You don't do yoga on the Dalai Lama's mat and you don't come behind my counter, period."

"I was trying to help," Sookie cried as he led her back to her seat.

Luke turned and glared at Lorelai. "You bring her again and I want her on a leash. I mean it."

They watched with interest as he grabbed a rag and stomped away. Sookie smiled as she picked up her burger and said, "He does make a damn find burger, though."

"He does at that," Lorelai agreed, pulling her gaze from Luke's retreating back. "All right. I'm just going to keep it simple. I'll tell Rory. If there's even an ounce of weirdenss about it I'll cancel," she said decidedly.

"You haven't told Rory yet?" Sookie asked, wide-eyed.

"No."

"Oops."

"No, not oops," Lorelai said indignantly. "The timing hasn't been right. This is a very delicate, fragile situation. It's like one of your soufflés. If you don't do it right it's a disaster."

"And you have to order it 45 minutes in advance," Sookie added.

"Huh?"

"My soufflé."

"Right, I wasn't but speaking directly about your soufflé. I was speaking metaphorically."

"Oh so you don't like my soufflés?" Sookie demanded.

"How _do_ we work together?" Lorelai asked.

"Sex!" Sookie cried, garnering the attention of everyone in the diner. "You want sex!" she said excitedly.

"Sook!" Lorelai hissed, grasping Sookie's arm tightly.

"Oops. Sorry," Sookie said as she glanced around sheepishly. "You want sex," she whispered to Lorelai.

"Well, that would be nice," Lorelai grumbled as she focused intently on her burger.

"Well, then, you should go out with him."

"It's not just about that. I mean, yeah, it would be nice," Lorelai said in a low voice as she glanced around to see if anyone was still listening. "But, I don't know. It's more than that. There was this thing, when I met Max for coffee… He was telling me this totally cock and bull story about his uncle, and he touched my arm. Just touched my arm, and I, I was just blown away," she confessed.

"Wow. That much chemistry?"

"No, well yeah, but not that. I mean, he's attractive and all, but I just realized how long it had been since anyone had touched me, just touched me," Lorelai tried to explain.

"Touched you? I touch you all the time," Sookie pointed out with a puzzled frown.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "And I appreciate it."

"Rory touches you too."

"I mean someone who isn't you or Rory, okay? Someone who isn't female."

"Ahh."

"I keep thinking about that touch, and I wonder if I'm really all that attracted to Max, of if maybe I just need someone to, you know, _want_ to touch me," Lorelai said quietly.

"Well, I'd imagine that there would be a few who would volunteer for the job," Sookie said dryly.

"Yeah, well, I don't want just anyone, and I don't want just sex," Lorelai said firmly. "I want more than that. Although, at this point I'd probably settle for just the sex," she said with a wry smile.

"I know what you mean," Sookie assured her.

"But this thing with Max, that makes it all more complicated. What if it turns into more than touching and sex?"

"Isn't that what you want?"

"With Rory's teacher? I don't know. It just opens up this whole new can of worms. Why can't I just meet a guy that I can just be with; no weird complications, no traumatizing my kid?"

"Sweetie, I think all guys come with complications. You just have to figure out which complications you and Rory are willing to live with."

"Maybe so," Lorelai murmured. "Anyway, maybe I'm reading way too much into this. Maybe I'll go out with Max and figure out in the first five minutes that I wouldn't want him to touch me with a ten foot pole," she said hopefully.

Sookie blinked and shook her head. "Wow. I've seen you make up your mind about a guy pretty fast, but I think that has to be a record. Poor guy didn't even have a chance," she said sadly.

"He has a chance!" Lorelai argued.

Sookie snorted and said, "Not much of one."

"Well, there's not much chance that Rory's going to be all that thrilled about me dating her teacher," Lorelai said pointedly. "Hell, she won't even let me date Lu…"

She was cut off by a loud clattering sound. They turned to find Luke reaching for the salt and paper shakers he had knocked off of the table directly behind them. "Sorry," he muttered to no one in particular.

"What were you saying?" Sookie prompted as they turned back to their plates.

"Huh?"

"She won't let you date…" Sookie led, her eyebrows shooting up speculatively as the bells above the door rang out.

"Mom, you better come," Rory said breathlessly as she reached for Lorelai's arm.

Lorelai glanced down at her daughter's fingers wrapped tightly around her elbow and asked, "Honey, what's wrong?"

"It's Cinnamon," Rory said somberly.

"I'd better…" Lorelai said as she tossed her napkin onto the counter and reached for her purse.

"You go. I'll take care of this and start thawing a casserole," Sookie said as she waved her away.

"Thanks, Sook," Lorelai called over her shoulder as Rory pulled her from the diner.

Sookie watched them leave, and then her eyes strayed to Luke as he took up his customary spot behind the cash register. "You get all that?" she asked him in a low voice.

"Huh?"

"If you're gonna move, you'd better move quick," Sookie advised.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Luke grumbled.

"And while you're moving quick, why don't you hustle back there and get me a _touch_ of onion for this burger?" she suggested pointedly.

"Coming right up," Luke answered as he turned on his heel and headed for the refuge of his kitchen.

****

Lorelai gathered another round of empty glasses and carried them into Babette's kitchen. She lowered herself to the stool with a heavy sigh, and then let her mind drift along with the music as she methodically washed glass after glass. Her mouth turned down at the edges as she recalled Babette saying that she had never thought that any man would want her. Regardless of the powers Babette thought her ass possessed, Lorelai knew the feeling all too well.

She had also felt Max's gaze practically mapping that ass as she walked back to the wake. It was a feeling that she was way too familiar with. And in light of the brief conversation she had with Rory on the front porch, she had to admit that his chances of ever laying a hand on her ass were getting slimmer and slimmer.

No one was more aware of what a mess her romantic life had been than Lorelai herself. She made sure of that. Sure, Sookie knew a few juicy tidbits. Babette may know whatever information she could glean from her front window. But even Rory, with her ringside seat, didn't have the full scoop. Not that there was too much to tell. Lorelai was well aware of the fact that a woman her age should probably have more to tell. At least, when it came to romance.

The sex part was easy. _Or, easier_, she amended. _It's not hard to get a guy to sleep with you. It's infinitely easier than getting them to call you again once they find out that you have a kid. _Lorelai held a cup under the running water, carefully rinsing the suds from it, inside and out.

It had almost been simpler when Rory was little. Not little, little. No, those days had been too hectic, too worrisome, and too overwhelming to even be bothered with something as inconsequential as sex. She hadn't even kissed another boy from the time that she left her parents' house until Rory was almost four. Frankly, she hadn't wanted to. Not that she was hung up on Christopher. It was actually quite the opposite. Lorelai knew from experience that nothing could serve as a better form of birth control than having a kid at sixteen and then trying to build a life of your own for you and your kid. The fact that she shared a squeaky old double bed with her kid every night didn't even factor into the equation. That is, until she met Matt Curtis.

Matt was one of the valets at the Independence Inn the summer after her nineteenth birthday. He was tall and handsome, with a slightly goofy smile, and the oversized hands and feet of a puppy. Matt was going into his junior year at U Conn, and working at the inn for the summer to earn money to supplement his bank account. And that summer, he and Lorelai and Rory were almost inseparable. They were friends; taking Rory on picnics with food they managed to beg from the kitchen staff, watching her pick dandelions down by the pond, and sitting outside the potting shed on warm summer nights talking for hours about anything and nothing while Rory slept soundly inside.

It had taken Matt over a month to kiss her. That had left them only three and a half weeks to cram all of the kissing they could into the remainder of his summer break. And they did their best to make up for lost time. While Rory lay curled up on the squishy mattress inside, covered only with a cool cotton sheet, Lorelai lay prone on the soft grass behind the potting shed, gasping as Matt kissed her breasts under a blanket of stars. Night after night, he kissed her until her head spun. Night after night, his large hands roamed her body, touching her, stroking her, and setting her on fire in a way she had never experienced before. Night after night, he whispered into her ear, begging her to touch him, groaning her name in a voice drenched in need, and guiding her hands over his body.

Matt was more experienced than Christopher had been. His fingers didn't fumble with her clothing quite as much. His hands felt more sure as he caressed her skin in the pale moonlight. His lips, teeth and tongue moved over every inch of her as she lay panting and exposed, bathing in the waves of newly awakened sensation. And one night, two days before he was to leave, he dared to produce a foil wrapped condom from his pocket and looked down at her hopefully. That night, and the night after, they lay wrapped in a blanket on the lawn behind the potting shed, doing their best to make sure that Matt got his money's worth out of that box of twelve. And when he left, he brushed a kiss to her lips and promised to call her as soon as he could. That was the last she'd heard from him.

Sadly, it wasn't the last she heard of him. Every day, Rory asked when 'Map' was coming over. And for weeks after, she couldn't understand why they couldn't invite 'Map' to come with them to toss bread to the ducks, or why 'Map' never read her bedtime stories anymore.

_Lesson learned,_ Lorelai reminded herself sternly as she rinsed the last glass and set it on the rack to drain. As she reached for a towel to dry her hands, Lorelai acknowledged that it was probably one of the biggest lessons of her life. Never one to disprove the theory of 'twice shy', Lorelai once again swore off men. She held her breath each time Rory asked about Matt, only to exhale little by little as the weeks passed and the questions came fewer and farther between. She focused all of her energy on raising her daughter. When Rory started school, she dove into the PTA headfirst, only to come up gasping for air as the other moms latched onto the fresh blood with a choke hold. She gave up on her school involvement entirely when one of the dads blatantly propositioned her during the first grade open house.

As Rory got older, Lorelai learned to juggle things a little more handily. She surrounded herself with women, building a strong network of friends that she could depend on. At work, she did things better and faster than anyone else, inching her way up to Head of Housekeeping and then Assistant Manager all before Rory turned ten.

As for men, she met a few here and there. She even accepted a few dates when she could finagle a babysitter for Rory. And in that arena, she learned even more quickly. It didn't take long for her to discover that twenty-something guys were scared shitless of the thought of being saddled with a single mom and her pre-teen daughter. It didn't take her long to learn that if she needed a little of what Rick Springfield called 'The Human Touch' she had better get it while the getting was good.

Lorelai quickly became aware of the fact that second dates were far more rare than first, and third dates ranked somewhere around hen's teeth in their scarcity. She knew that no matter what _Cosmo _or _Glamour_ or any of the other women's magazines said, she didn't have the luxury of holding out for the third date. Inevitably, she'd dump her purse and a collection of plastic barrettes, crayons, Happy Meal toys, and a bottle of Children's Tylenol would spill the beans for her. Or, something would come up, forcing her to fess up as to why she had to cancel at the last minute, and then the date would mysteriously never be rescheduled. She learned by the ripe old age of twenty-seven that if a single mom had an itch that needed scratching, she needed to get that guy rubbing away as quickly as possible.

Lorelai dropped the towel onto the counter, and then began to wipe it down; her eyes following the methodical in circles she made as she smeared away the droplets of water. _Guys. It always came down to guys, _she thought with a frown. Rory's willingness to forego Chilton just a few weeks earlier sprang to mind. The way that Sookie's natural clumsiness amplified whenever Jackson, the inn's produce supplier, walked through the door frightened her. Max's ability to dole out punishment for tardiness in one breath and an invitation to dinner in the next both baffled and intrigued her.

"Here are a few more," Luke said, startling her from her thoughts.

Lorelai jumped and whirled to face him, clutching the towel tightly in her fist. "I was just wiping down the counters," she blurted.

Luke nodded and carried the glasses clutched between his fingers to the counter. "Babette probably won't mind if you don't get to these," he said gruffly.

"Oh, no, I'll get them," Lorelai said as she tossed the towel over her shoulder and moved to resume her place on the wooden stool. "Careful," she cautioned as Luke stepped back and hit his head on the light fixture. "I did that earlier," she told him with a wry smile.

"I feel like one of those guys from _Gulliver's Travels. _The tall ones," Luke grumbled as he pressed his hand to his head.

"Brobdingnagians," Lorelai answered absently. "They were supposed to symbolize self-examination."

"What?"

Lorelai glanced up and then smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Rory did a paper on them last year."

"Ah."

"Because they were so big, Gulliver could examine them up close. Every pore, every follicle is open to scrutiny," she explained. "You have to see the small things in life because suddenly they're so big."

"I see," Luke said as he leaned back against the countertop.

"I got to hear about Gulliver for weeks."

"Lucky girl."

"I am," she said, looking up at him with an open smile.

"Yes, you are," Luke answered gravely. "I'll, uh, get those gutters cleaned out for you."

"Thanks." Lorelai's relieved smile was genuine as she turned to look at him. "The last time it rained, the waterfall over our steps is like Niagara. I actually considered nailing myself into a barrel and rolling off of the roof. I figure I'll stay drier that way then trying to run through it."

"Or, you could use an umbrella."

"If I had one," she said with a cheeky grin.

"How do you function from one day to the next?" he teased, his hand brushing hers as he reached for the glass she had just washed and rinsed it.

Lorelai's smile faltered as she turned back to the sink. "Hey, thanks for bringing the food."

Luke shrugged and said, "I was gonna anyway. Already had the meatloaf in the oven."

"I figured," she said with a nod. "Still, it was nice of you."

Luke blew out a breath and dried his hand on his flannel as he said, "Well, that's what you do, right? It's a wake. For a cat," he added with a small laugh of disbelief.

"Yeah, but she was _their _cat," Lorelai said soberly as she dared to look at him once more.

"Yeah, she was," he acknowledged quietly.

When Lorelai turned back to the sink, a few strands of hair clung to the shiny gloss she had slicked over her lips. Without giving himself a moment to think about it, Luke reached out and gently brushed them away with the tip of his finger.

Lorelai's head jerked up as his fingertip grazed her cheek, and he pulled his hand away. "It was, uh, stuck," he said as he ducked his head, his cheeks coloring as he shoved his hand safely into his pocket.

"Thanks," she replied, her own cheeks coloring as the word came out in a whisper.

"I'm gonna go," he announced abruptly as he pushed away from the counter.

"Oh." Lorelai reached for the towel and dried her hands again as she stood up. "Yeah, well, thanks again for the food."

"Sure. Anytime," he said with a nod, his feet riveted to the spot.

Lorelai smiled. "Night, Luke," she said softly.

"See ya," he managed to grunt, and then touched her back lightly as he scooted past her to get to the back door.

Lorelai whirled and stared at the door as the café curtains swung back into place, and then squeezed her eyes shut as she shook her head. "Come on, seriously? That was too lame, even if you are hard up," she admonished herself under her breath. And as she turned back to the stool in front of the sink, she patently ignored the warm tingle of sensation tickling the skin between her shoulder blades.

****

An hour later, Lorelai lounged against the frame of Rory's door as she said, "So we never did quite settle the whole dating-your-teacher issue. I won't go out with him if you don't want me to."

"You can go out with whoever you want," Rory answered as she brushed past her to get to the refrigerator.

"It's whoever we want," Lorelai corrected her adamantly.

"Well I'm certainly not going to go out with him 'cause that would be really weird."

"But I mean it. I won't see him if you don't want me to," Lorelai persisted.

"Huh."

"You know, if there's anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, big or small, then he's out of there."

"Good to know."

"Because you know it's not like I'm desperate. I mean, there are plenty of other guys out there," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

"Sure are."

"And it's not like I have to ask your permission. I mean, this is a courtesy," Lorelai told her, growing impatient with Rory short answers.

"Okay," Rory replied as she closed her bedroom door firmly between them.

"But I have to tell you, I think you're getting really demanding. First you tell me that I can't date Luke, and now it's Max."

"Luke?" Rory asked. "Who's talking about dating Luke?" she demanded as she yanked the door open.

"You were. Well, not you dating him, you said that I couldn't date him. Now, I understand that you do get a say in this, but I do too," she argued futilely. "I mean, sooner or later, Mommy's going to meet a guy and you're going to have to know him whether it's before me or after me."

"I understand," Rory answered with a brusque nod and closed the door before Lorelai could stop her.

Lorelai grunted in frustration. "And, it's not like this place is crawling with guys," Lorelai called as she leaned her forehead against the door. "I mean, yeah, there will be other guys, but sometimes those kinds of guys are few and far between, and you've scratched two of the good one right off the top of the list."

Lorelai frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest and waited, but there was no reply from the other side of the door. "Okay, so, I'm going to be up for a while, if you want to get back to me on this."

"I know where you are," Rory called back, her voice muffled by the door.

Lorelai heaved a sigh and turned toward the stairs, her shoulders slumping at the thought of another night all alone in that big bed, without even the prospect for anything more.

"Mom?" Rory said as she opened her door.

"Yeah?"

"I think I'd rather you dated Luke."

A surprised laugh bubbled from Lorelai's throat. "Thanks, kid, but Luke is not the guy who asked me out."

"But he likes you," Rory argued. "And you like him."

"I just said I thought he was cute."

"Ah, you didn't! You asked if I thought he was cute, but now you admit it, you think Luke is cute," she crowed.

"I'm not talking about Luke, I'm talking about Max," Lorelai said, her frustration rising.

"But you brought Luke up, and I'm telling you that I think that you should date Luke instead of Mr. Medina."

"Because Luke doesn't have the power to flunk you?"

"Luke would never flunk me," she said dismissively.

"True, but you were all worried that you'd starve. So, what you're saying is that you'd rather starve than flunk English."

"Luke would never let me starve either. Don't worry, if things go wrong, I'll order everything to go and split it with you."

"This is getting ridiculous," Lorelai muttered as she turned toward the stairs once more.

"Mom, I really don't want you to date Mr. Medina," Rory blurted. When Lorelai turned to look at her, she grimaced. "I know it's selfish, but I don't. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay," Lorelai murmured.

"It's just that Chilton is hard, not just the work, but just being there, and I can't think of any way that this won't make it harder," Rory said imploringly. "If you really want to, if he means that much to you, then I'll understand. But you asked how I felt, and that's how I feel. I feel selfish," she finished quietly.

"It's not selfish," Lorelai said gently. "I totally understand."

"But I want you to date someone great. I want you to have that," Rory assured her.

"I know you do. There will be other guys, Rory," Lorelai said as she reached down and smoothed her daughter's silky hair. "There are plenty of other guys."

"Thank you," Rory whispered sincerely.

"We're in this together," Lorelai reminded her. "You and me."

****

Lorelai climbed into bed that night replaying her conversation with Rory over and over again in her head. She totally got where Rory was coming from as far as Max was concerned. Hearing Rory say it out loud simply confirmed her fears. Rory was having a hard enough time finding her niche at Chilton without having her mother throw a wrench into things. She knew that. But Luke. Luke? Why couldn't Rory see that Luke was far more dangerous than Max could ever be?

Luke was her friend. Her first guy friend since Matt Curtis weaseled his way into their lives, and then slunk away never to be heard from again. She still hoped that he was fat and balding and suffered from ingrown toenails. She really hoped that Rory didn't remember Matt, and that summer her mother had been such a fool. She'd been so careful since then. She'd made sure that no matter how many guys flitted in and out of her life, Rory's life had never felt so much as a flutter. But Luke. Luke wouldn't be a flutter. He'd be a windstorm, a hurricane, a catastrophe waiting to happen.

She'd been so careful when they first got to know him. She'd kept Rory front and center, like a kind of talisman to keep the grumbly diner owner from wanting to get too friendly. But he did get friendly, in his own Luke-like kind of way. He was friendly to Rory. Genuinely interested in her and what she had to say. Usually more interested in Rory than he was in her mother. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Lorelai had to admit that she'd caught him looking.

But the looks that she got from Luke were different from the looks that other guys gave her. He didn't waste his time talking to her breasts. Instead, he looked her straight in the eye, and usually told her that she was crazy. If he'd ever memorized the contours of her ass the way that Max had, well, she wasn't aware of it; and Lorelai Gilmore was nothing if not aware of her charms. No, Luke's looks were different. There was the worried frown when she mentioned her furnace making the funny clunking sound. There was the exasperated eye roll when she batted her eyelashes and begged for another cup of coffee. There was that shyly proud smile when she told him that Rory had made it into Chilton. All in all, even counting all of those tiny moments when their eyes met for a moment too long, there was absolutely nothing in any of those looks that told her that he was out to get into her pants.

And that was more than she could say for herself. But Lorelai didn't count the looks that she gave him. She was only doing what every other female resident of Stars Hollow over the age of eighteen and in possession of a pulse did. Ogling the local diner owner was the townswomen's favorite pastime; and Lorelai was not embarrassed to admit, if only to herself, that she had raised it to an art form. Many, many cold winter nights were warmed by the thought of peeling away that flannel exterior to see what lie beneath. Many times she had lain in her bed picturing those broad shoulders above her, and imagining that his long fingers were stroking her skin. She told herself that it was because there were not an abundance of candidates available to fill the leading role in those breathless, lonely fantasies. But she also knew that when it came to a tossup between imagining Luke's body pressing into hers, and say, George Clooney's, Luke was usually the one whose face she pictured as she was crossing the finish line.

But Luke was Luke. Luke was supposed to be safe. For her and for Rory. And even though they weren't really what she would consider close friends, he was a good friend. A friend that she wanted to keep. Even if it did mean foregoing the possibilities that played out in her mind. Logically, she knew that if something were to happen between them, the odds of Luke taking off and never coming back were slim. Intellectually, she knew that he wasn't some twenty year old boy looking for a good time before returning to the world of frat parties and homecoming dances. But she liked having him as a friend. And if keeping him as a friend meant that she only saw him naked when she was alone, in the privacy of her own bedroom; that was a price she was willing to pay.

No, Luke was not an option for her, no matter how much she would have opted to be co-opted by him. And, apparently Max was not an option for Rory. The fact of the matter was that Rory was her world, her everything, and if Rory said 'no', then 'no' would have to be her answer too. But that didn't mean that Max Medina couldn't have a guest starring role on her own personal _Late, Late Show_.

Lorelai slipped her hand under her pajama top and cupped her breast, fingering her nipple lightly as she pictured herself plunging her hands into Max's thick, dark hair. A whimpered moan escaped her lips as she pinched her nipple, imagining that lush, glossy hair slipping through her fingers as he kissed his way down her body, and drew that distended nipple into his mouth. Her other hand burrowed into her pajama pants, slipping into her panties and she began to stroke her clit in light, teasing circles. She closed her eyes, and gave herself over to the tiny sparks of sensation as she imagined him pressing his open mouth to the curve of her stomach, steadily working his way lower. Her breath hitched as she slipped one finger into herself and pictured Luke looking up at her from between her bare thighs.

"Good?" he asked in a low, gravelly voice as his finger pressed into her once more.

Lorelai's head jerked up and she quickly disentangled her hands from her clothing as she blinked rapidly to clear her mind. "So good," she panted, her heart hammering with frustration.

Agitated by Luke's invasion of her Max fantasy, Lorelai decided to punish them both. She tossed back the covers and rolled out of bed. Then she crossed to the bedroom window, grunting as she slid it open, letting the cool, crisp autumn air flood the room. She sank to a squat, leaning heavily on the window sill as she gulped in the fresh air. A minute later, she shivered and stood up. Satisfied that whatever ardor she may have felt had been sufficiently cooled, she darted for the bed and pulled the covers up over her head. "What the hell does a girl have to do to get laid, anyway? It probably shouldn't be this hard," she said as she plumped her pillow with her balled fist. "Ha! Hard," she snorted, and then buried her face in the pillow.

****

"Chocolate chip pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs over easy and a beta blocker," Luke muttered as he slid two large plates onto the counter in front of her.

"You forgot my toast," Lorelai called after him as he circle the counter, coffee pot in hand.

"I had hoped you'd forget it too," he answered as he started a round of refills.

"Hit me with that on your way back to the kitchen," she instructed, pointing her fork at him with a stubborn scowl.

Luke made his way back toward her and placed his hand lightly on her back as he leaned over her shoulder to refill her mug. "Can we make it wheat toast, at least?"

"No. _You_ can make it white toast," she answered with a nervous laugh, resisting the urge to turn her head toward him.

"Worth a shot."

"And don't skimp on the butter," she retorted, watching as he made his way back to the kitchen, depositing the pot on the burner as he passed by in one smooth move. Lorelai stared at the ebony liquid sloshing in the glass carafe, trying to regain what little composure she had lost the moment he touched her.

When he reappeared a few minutes later with her toast, she looked up and smiled her triumph. "I can believe you're going to eat all that," he complained.

"I need the toast for the eggs. The bacon is salty enough to counteract the sweetness of the pancakes and the sausage just tastes damn good when you swirl it in maple syrup," she said as she swirled a hunk of sausage in the pool of syrup on her pancake plate.

Luke shuddered visibly as she popped the tidbit into her mouth and chewed enthusiastically, and then fell back into the safety of his kitchen to regroup.

****

"Hit me, and hit me hard," Lorelai called out over the chime of the bells as she breezed through the door that afternoon.

"Just what every guy dreams of hearing," Luke replied as he reached for a mug and the coffee pot.

"I need it on the run, please."

"The law after you again?"

"Yes, and you are aiding and abetting."

"I've always wanted to be an accessory."

Lorelai smirked as she reached for the to-go cup. "Fine, tomorrow I'll wrap you around my neck and wear you like a scarf."

"I'll be sure to wear my fringes," he said dryly.

"You are my personal savior," she said as she pulled a dollar from her purse and slapped it onto the counter.

As she pulled her hand away, Luke caught it in his. Lorelai looked up in surprise, a tiny line of consternation creasing her brow. "Tomorrow okay?" he asked.

"Okay?" she asked blankly.

"I should be able to get them cleaned out in the morning," he told her, still gripping her fingers lightly.

"Cleaned out? Oh! The gutters!"

"Yeah."

"Oh, yeah tomorrow would be great," she said quickly, marveling at how easily her skin absorbed the heat of his hand.

Luke gave her hand a gentle squeeze and then released it. "I'll be by in the morning."

"Great. Great," she repeated as she backed toward the door. "See ya," she managed to mumble, and then hurried away.

****

Lorelai tossed her purse onto a table and slumped into a chair, her coat hanging open and exposing her royal blue dress.

"You okay?" Luke asked as he approached, mugs and coffee pot in hand.

Rory looked up and flashed a relieved smile. "She needs pie, stat," she said with a shrug.

"What kind?" Luke asked as he poured.

"Doesn't matter," Rory assured him.

Luke glanced worriedly down at Lorelai as she stared at the napkin holder in what appeared to be a nearly catatonic state. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder and asked, "What happened?"

Lorelai jumped, sitting straight up in her chair as if she had been scalded. Rory blurted a nervous laugh and said, "It's Friday night. We had dinner with my grandparents."

"Ah. I'll go a la mode," Luke said as he let his fingers trail from her shoulder.

"He keeps touching me," Lorelai whispered as he walked away.

"Touching you?" Rory asked with a bewildered frown.

"Yes! Touching me!"

"What do you mean?"

"Just now. He touched me just now," Lorelai hissed.

"He patted your shoulder," Rory said with a laugh.

"Forget it," Lorelai muttered as she crossed her arms protectively over her chest.

"What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that Luke and I, we don't touch," she said in an exasperated tone.

"O-kay." Rory leaned forward and folded her hands on the tabletop.

Lorelai shook her head and hooked her finger through the handle on her mug. "Speaking of things we don't touch, I called Max today," she said in a low voice.

"Yeah? How'd that go?" Rory asked cautiously.

"Oh, well, he was, um, persistent."

"And you were?" Rory prodded.

"Resistant."

"O-kay."

Lorelai smiled sadly and said, "I told him it just wasn't going to happen."

Rory sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom. Maybe you should…"

Lorelai shook her head again and said, "No, you're right, it's too complicated. Things shouldn't start out this complicated, they should _get_ complicated."

"Right," Rory said with a sad smile.

"So that's that. No Max," Lorelai said, looking up abruptly as Luke reappeared with two plates of pie smothered in ice cream.

"Cherry, a la mode," he said as he slid the plates onto the table

"You are the best," Lorelai said as she stared down at her pie covetously.

He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and said, "And don't you forget it."

Lorelai looked up at him and murmured, "We won't." She plastered a smile onto her face and said, "I'm needlepointing a pillow for you."

Luke turned away, hiding his relieved smile until he reached the safety of his kitchen.

****

_The wine was smooth and rich, with some kind of woodsy flavor, and Lorelai was inordinately proud of herself for holding back the smirk that threatened when he utter the words 'after notes'. She was simply grateful the he hadn't spit it out after taking a sip from the glass that their waiter had offered to him to taste. No, the wine was good, going down as freely as it was poured. _

_The candlelight flickered, casting a warm glow over his skin, and sparking tiny flames that danced in his brown eyes._

"_So, what does Rory think about this? You and me," Max asked, leaning forward with a confident smile._

"_Actually, she doesn't want me to date you," Lorelai admitted._

"_But you're here."_

"_I'm here," she said, meeting his gaze boldly._

"_Rory doesn't approve and you came anyway?" he asked with a smug smile._

"_She said she'd understand if I still wanted to."_

"_And you do?"_

"_I want…" Lorelai trailed off, breaking away from the warmth of his gaze and staring intently at her wine glass. She traced the rim of the glass with the pad of her index finger and said, "I can't date you, but I need you to do something for me."_

_Max's eyebrows shot up. "Do something for you?"_

_Lorelai lifted her eyes to meet his again and stared at him steadily. "Yes."_

"_What?"_

"_Touch me," she whispered._

Luke carefully lifted the extension ladder from the bed of his truck, hoisting it up high so that metal wouldn't scrape against metal any more that absolutely necessary. He eyed the house warily as he carried the ladder across the lawn. He knew they'd still be fast asleep, but her gutters were clogged and the forecast was calling for heavy rain.

As quietly as he could, he propped the ladder against the roof and stepped back, his hands planted on his hips as he debated whether he should knock or not. Giving the grey early morning sky another glance, he turned to peer at the length of gutter that ran across the front of Lorelai's house. With a slight nod, he decided that he could at least take care of the one in front, eliminating the need for Lorelai to nail herself into a barrel to get out of the house.

_They lay wrapped up in each other, a tangle of limbs and acres of skin glowing in flickering firelight. She lifted one leg, letting it glide over the rough hair on his and she urged him closer as his hands claimed every millimeter of skin he could reach. He cupped her breasts, squeezing them gently, tormenting her nipple with his calloused thumb as she writhed beneath him._

"_Oh God, I want you," she whispered into his ear, closing her eyes as she pressed her palms to the curve of his ass and then raked her nails up his spine._

_She watched from above as he parted her, his ass round and smooth as he lifted up, the muscles beneath his pale skin flexing as he pushed into her._

"_So good, so good," she whispered, covering that ass with her hands as he filled her._

Luke's boots were heavy as he stepped onto the roof and then froze. He glanced down at them and then lowered himself onto his butt to unlace them. Setting them aside, he decided just to tap on Lorelai's bedroom window just to let her know that he was there and getting to work on her gutters.

"_What does Rory think about this, you and me?" he asked breathlessly as he slid into her, his body slick with her desire._

"_She told me that she doesn't want me to date you," she answered in a whisper._

"_Then we shouldn't do this," Luke said gruffly as he pulled away._

"_No! She changed her mind," Lorelai cried, sitting straight up and grasping for him as he slipped just out of her reach._

"Nooo," Lorelai groaned as she sat up in bed, her heart hammering.

Falling back onto her pillows, she reached for the lamp, bathing the room in rich gold that warmed the cold, grey morning. She tossed the covers back, the residual heat of her dream still heating her skin. Lorelai eyed the clock and groaned when she noted that it was far too early to be awake on a Saturday morning. Knowing that she'd never get back to sleep in the state that she was in, she pushed her t-shirt up over her stomach, exposing her breasts to the cool air that filled the room, and then covering them with her hands, just as Luke had. She pinched her nipple, imagining his lips closing over the tight, beaded tip, and moaned aloud.

Luke's head swiveled and he froze as he saw the light come on in her room. "Crap," he muttered, knowing that he'd get an earful for waking her up that early. He pushed up and padded across the roof in his sock feet, checking the steel grey sky once more as he prepared his defense.

As he crouched down by her open window, he heard her moan, and ducked his head to ask if she was okay. The words died on his lips as he peered into the softly lit room and saw Lorelai sprawled on the bed caressing her breasts. His hand tightened on the window frame and his breath caught, hopelessly tangled up in the knot in his throat.

"Oh yes, touch me," she moaned.

Luke watched as she slid one hand down the side of her neck, over the bunched up t-shirt she wore, passing lightly over her taut pink nipple, and then down the soft curve of her stomach. He blinked rapidly, knowing that he should turn away, but utterly powerless to do so as her fingers dipped under the elastic of her pajama pants. He watched as her hand moved beneath the thin fabric patterned with stars and moons, his mouth falling open as her lips parted and her breath hitched in her throat. Luke wet his parched lips with the tip of his tongue and then bit back a groan as he saw her begin stroke herself, and wished that he could yank those pants down, needing to see her, aching to be the one touching her.

Lorelai moaned again as her fingers moved faster beneath the pale blue cotton. Luke stared, fascinated by the way her hand closed over her breast, squeezing it tighter with each stroke of her fingers. Her chest rose and fell as her breathing became fast and shallow, and he forced himself to swallow past the lump in his throat. Lorelai whimpered and he bit his lip hard to ward off the strangled groan that threatened from deep in his chest. She pressed her head back into the pillow as her hand moved faster and faster, pushing herself over the edge.

"Oh, Luke," she groaned as she climaxed.

His hand fell from the window frame, and he caught himself just in time as he fell back onto his ass, panting as if he had just run a mile. He shook his head slightly, wondering if he had actually heard her, or if the sound of his name on her lips was only wishful thinking on his part. Luke glanced down at the aching bulge in his jeans and then squeezed his eyes shut, wondering if it made any difference or not if it was, after what he had just seen.

"Dammit, Luke," he heard her mutter. Petrified that he'd been caught peeping, his mind raced with possible excuses as he leaned forward and cautiously to peered into her window again. He saw her curled onto her side facing away from the window as she burrowed into her pillow, her t-shirt pulled down a bit, but still gathered just under her breasts. He stared at the smooth expanse of skin at the curve of her waist and wished with every fiber of his being that he could sink his teeth into the sweet dip.

Lorelai reached up and pushed her hair back from her face, pressing her cheek into the pillow as her breathing started to slow. Luke fell back, turning to press himself up against the side of the house as he tried to get a handle on his own oxygen intake.

Finally, he began to scoot back down the slope of her roof to the edge where he had left his boots, knowing that he had to get away from there. He yanked the boots on, and quickly tied the laces before pushing to his feet with a groan and stepping down onto the ladder. His jerky movements made the ladder shift and screech against the metal gutter and he winced. Gripping it tightly he balanced himself and took a deep calming breath before forcing himself to take it down another rung.

He had just reached the bottom and was pulling the ladder away from the house when the front door opened.

"Luke?"

"Oh. Hey," he croaked. His hands tightened around the sides of the ladder as he spotted Lorelai in the doorway in her pale yellow t-shirt and moon and stars pajama pants.

"What are you doing?"

"The, uh, gutters," he said as he nodded to the ladder in his hands.

"It's barely even seven," she complained.

Luke looked up at the sky and then back toward her, focusing his gaze somewhere around her bare feet as he said, "Supposed to be heavy rain today and I didn't know when I'd be able to get to them…"

"Oh."

"You said you didn't have an umbrella," he muttered, looking back up at the gutters as he pretended to position the ladder in the right spot.

Lorelai smiled tiredly and said, "Actually, I do, but they are really clogged. I think they've surpassed Niagara and are moving toward Angel Falls."

"I'll do ya, um, them," he said. Luke sucked in a breath as he silently cursed himself and then babbled, "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up."

"I was awake," Lorelai answered as she stepped out onto the porch, wrapping her arms tightly over her chest to ward off the chilly morning air.

Luke nodded as he stared at the top of the ladder, knowing that he couldn't possibly look at her. "Shouldn't take too long. I'll get this front one now. I may not get to the rest today."

"I really appreciate it," Lorelai said sincerely as she watched him start to climb the ladder.

Luke nodded again, and then scrambled up the last few rungs.

Lorelai heard the heavy footfalls of his boots on the shingles, and then turned to go back into the house. She stopped on the threshold, pressing her hand to her stomach as she felt that familiar itch, down deep inside. She scratched her stomach absently, and then, acting on impulse, Lorelai decided it was about time for her to get what she wants. She bit her lip hard as she turned and hurried across the porch and down the steps.

"Luke?" she called up to the roof.

"Yeah?" he answered, peering over the edge as he knelt on his hands and knees.

"I was thinking, if you're free, I'd take you to dinner tonight. You know, as a thank you," she stammered. She ducked her head as she waited for his answer, and winced as she realized that she was standing in her front yard in her pajamas asking a guy out.

"Dinner?" Luke asked blankly.

Lorelai nodded and then ran her hands over her sleep tousled hair self-consciously as she took a deep breath and plastered on a bright smile. "If you want to," she said with a shrug. "Nothing fancy," she added as she mentally calculated the contents of her bank account. "Casual. Just dinner," she rambled as she gently raked her nails over the goosebumps on her arms.

"Okay, yeah, sure," Luke answered slowly.

Lorelai's smile warmed as she inched toward the steps. "Okay, well, okay thanks. I'll see you later then," she said, giving him an awkward wave and then dashed up onto the porch and into the house, letting the front door slam behind her.

"Holy crap," Luke whispered as he leaned down and pressed his forehead to the rough shingles at the edge of her roof. "Ah geez," he groaned, wondering how he'd ever be able to sit across from her and not see her as he had just a short time before.

****

Lorelai was surprised at how easy it was, sitting across from Luke in the new Mexican restaurant that had just opened in Woodbury. She was stunned by how different he was once he was away from the diner. Luke talked. Over enchiladas and ice cold Coronas, he told stories about growing up in Stars Hollow, he spilled the juicy details of their friends and neighbors peculiarities and peccadilloes. She liked being with him. She liked the way he talked with his hands, his long fingers gesturing expressively as he told her about his paper route, his dad's hardware store, and spilled the beans on who tipped well and who didn't. She liked the way his hair curled softly behind his ears as he leaned forward, listening attentively as she told tales of Rory's younger years, and the sometimes disastrous results of her attempts at being what she thought was a good mom. She really liked the way he glanced away shyly when their eyes met and held over their long forgotten plates.

She wanted more of this. These stories he was telling, the easy banter that they fell into without thinking, the guy that sat across from her. She wanted to know why he set aside the wedge of lemon that was served with his beer. She wanted to see him smile more often. But most of all, she wanted him to want her the way that she wanted him. And judging by the attentive way he tried to anticipate her every need throughout the meal, and the way that he doggedly kept the conversation flowing, even though she knew damn well that it didn't come naturally to him; she thought that maybe, just maybe, he did.

Luke knew he was acting like an idiot, rambling on and on about anything and everything. He couldn't help it. He could barely look at her without seeing her bathed in golden lamplight. He could barely keep his eyes off of her as her smile dimmed the glow of the festive colored lights strung along the restaurant's ceiling. She was incredible. Vibrant and vivid, her smile warm and inviting, her eyes bright, drawing him in each time he dared to look directly at her. He knew he was making a fool of himself.

He didn't really know if this was a date, but he was going to make damn sure that if on the off chance that it could be one, he didn't want her to be disappointed. But he told himself sternly that it was only dinner. An hour or two in her company. An hour or two that he desperately wanted, even if he couldn't have anything else. He knew that she'd be mortified if she knew what he'd seen through her open window. So here he was, sucking it up and blocking out the memory of her smooth creamy skin. Here he was, making a fool of himself as canned mariachi music played through the sound system because he was afraid that it was the only chance he would get.

"So, are you ready?" Lorelai asked, reaching for her wallet as he drained the last of his beer.

"I've got it," Luke said as he snatched the folder holding their guest check from the table.

"Luke, I asked you to dinner," Lorelai argued. "A thank you, remember?"

Luke shook his head and thumbed through his wallet as he said, "Nah, that's not, I've got it."

Lorelai blew out an exasperated breath and said, "That's not the point."

"Lorelai, it was no big deal. Took me, what? Forty-five minutes?"

"Still not the point."

Luke shoved some bills into the folder without really looking and practically shoved it at their waiter as he passed by. "I don't have a kid in private school," he said gruffly.

Lorelai huffed and shook her head as she rolled her eyes as he stood up and then moved to help her with her chair. "This isn't over. I'll think of some way to thank you," she threatened.

"You just did. Multiple times," Luke said as he pressed his hand to the small of her back and gestured toward the door.

Lorelai grinned as she grabbed her purse from the back of her chair and stuffed her wallet back into it. "So dirty," she said, tossing a sassy smile over her shoulder as she started for the door.

Her smile faded as his hand fell away, and she slowed her steps in an effort to keep him close. "Do you want to drive?" she asked as she dangled the keys to the Jeep in front of him.

"Do you want me to?"

Lorelai smiled and said, "You didn't seem too comfortable with being in the passenger seat."

Luke's smile was a tad sheepish as they paused in the restaurant's vestibule. "Nah, it's your car. I'll pull it around, though, if you don't want to get wet," he said as he nodded to the rain pouring down outside the window.

"That would be great," Lorelai said as she handed him the keys. "I don't want to melt, I am made of spun sugar."

"That's not surprising," he muttered as he took the keys and then pushed through the door.

Lorelai watched as he ran to the Jeep and climbed in. He circled the lot and then pulled right up to the restaurant's entrance, putting the car in park with the driver's side toward the door. He climbed out, ducking his head against the driving rain as Lorelai exited the restaurant and made a dash for the door he held open for her. A minute later, Luke slammed the passenger door and then gave his head a little shake to shed the water from his hair.

"A little wet, Sparky?" she teased.

"Sorry," he muttered, smoothing his hair back into place. "Awful night."

"Not all awful," she said in an injured tone as they pulled away.

"No, I meant the weather," Luke said quickly.

"I know," she replied, favoring him with a teasing smile.

When they turned onto the highway, Luke laced his fingers together to keep from clinging to the door. He cleared his throat and then asked, "So, Rory is settling in okay? At school?"

Lorelai shrugged, keeping her eyes on the rain slicked road. "It's hard. Really different from Stars Hollow High," she said, glancing over at him with a wan smile.

"I bet."

"Very competitive, very cliquish."

"Did you go to a school like that?"

"Oh yeah," Lorelai said with a laugh. "I mean, you can't beat schools like Chilton for the academics, and for Rory, it's the best thing we can do to get her into Harvard."

"Yeah."

"But socially, she's kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place."

"I can see that," Luke said as he rubbed his chin worriedly.

"She'll make some friends eventually," Lorelai said as she glanced over at him. "And, she always has Lane."

"Yeah, but still, that's rough at that age," Luke said as he turned toward her. "I mean, high school sucks anyway. I couldn't wait to get out."

Lorelai smiled and said, "You should have gotten pregnant, that's one way to escape."

"Yeah, but you're smart, and your parents had money, you could have gone on to some Ivy League school."

"That was the plan."

Luke studied her profile carefully for a moment. "But you don't regret it," he stated simply.

Lorelai shook her head and said quietly, "No. How could I regret Rory?"

"Exactly," he agreed.

They fell silent for a moment and the sound of the rain rushing under the wheel wells filled the car. "Plans change. Dreams change," Lorelai murmured.

"And now you want to own your own inn," Luke said with a nod.

Lorelai looked over at him in shock. "How do you know that?"

Luke smiled. "You come to my diner every day. You talk. A lot," he added in a low, deep voice.

She laughed. "Yes, I do."

"I think it's great," Luke told her sincerely.

"You do?"

"Sure. There's nothing better than owning your own place."

"You get to make the rules."

"Yep."

"If you want to shut it down and jet off to Italy for a month, you can," she said with a nod.

Luke chuckled. "Yeah, well, maybe."

"In theory."

"In theory," he agreed as he returned her smile.

They flew past the Stars Hollow sign, and Lorelai slowed as they entered town. "I had a really good time tonight," she said as she turned to look at him.

"Me too. Except for the talking. I talked a lot," he said with a self-deprecating smile.

"That's why it was fun."

"I never talk that much."

Lorelai turned to navigate around the square as she asked, "Were you nervous?"

"Well, I guess, a little. It's weird, you know, hanging out outside of the diner," he admitted as his thumb practically rubbed a hole in the palm of his other hand.

"Yeah, I was a little too," Lorelai said reassuringly. She turned down the alley behind the diner and asked, "Is this okay?"

"Sure," Luke answered as she pulled to a stop behind his truck.

Lorelai put the Jeep in park and turned to look at him. "But I did have a good time," she said again.

"Yeah," Luke answered with a nod as he reached for the door handle.

"Hey," Lorelai said, touching his arm to get his attention. When Luke turned to face her, she leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. "Thanks for dinner," she whispered as she pulled back slightly.

"You're welcome," he answered automatically.

"It was fun," she said as she leaned in again, her breath tickling his lips.

"Yeah," Luke breathed as he couldn't help but close his eyes and kiss her again. "We should, uh, do it again," he said gruffly.

"I'd like that," Lorelai whispered as she raised her hands to his head, sliding her fingers into his hair as she pressed her lips to his once more.

The rain beat a steady tattoo on the canvas roof of the Jeep as she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. Luke responded immediately, touching the tip of his tongue to her lips, and groaning into her mouth as she parted them. His tongue circled hers as he reached for her, pulling her as far as her seatbelt would allow, and then pressing across the seats when it wasn't nearly close enough.

Lorelai could feel the steady thrum of his heart as the rain spattered across the windshield, his velvety tongue gliding over hers as his hand pressed into her back, the heat of his palm radiating through her jacket, her top, her skin. Her hands slid down the sides of his neck and burrowed under the collar of his black cloth coat, her fingers playing along the neckline of his sweater.

"Invite me in," she whispered in a soft, husky voice as he began to kiss his way along her jaw.

"I saw you," he confessed in a rush, his breath hot against her ear.

"Hmm?" Lorelai hummed as he nipped at her earlobe.

"I'm sorry. I got there early. I didn't want to wake you," he blurted as he pulled back to look at her, but found himself unable to meet her eyes.

"What?"

"I was trying to be quiet, but then your light came on, and I went to the window to tell you that I was there," he said as he fell back into his seat, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.

"This morning?" Lorelai asked. When he hung his head and nodded, her eyes widened slightly and then narrowed. "You saw me this morning," she gasped. Luke nodded again, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she asked, "What did you see?"

His voice was hoarse as he stared down at his hands and said, "I saw."

"Oh my god," Lorelai breathed as she rocked back into her seat, pressing her hand to her flaming cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Luke said in a rush.

"Oh my god," she said more emphatically.

"I know I shouldn't have, but you, and the lamp and you looked so…" he trailed off as he raked his hand over his face.

"So? So what?" she asked in a tight angry voice.

"Beautiful," Luke whispered as he exhaled. He turned toward the window, watching as the rain cascaded over the heavy plastic. "I'm sorry."

"Oh my god," Lorelai exhaled with a low, hollow laugh.

"And I like you. I really like you," Luke said gruffly as he wrung his hands. "I know I shouldn't have come tonight, but I couldn't not. I like you," he said helplessly, just getting warmed up. "And I did have a good time tonight, and I want to do it again, but I know that now… I just, I blew it," he said as he reached for the door handle and pushed it open with his foot. He paused for a moment, standing in the pouring rain as he pressed his lips together. Luke leaned into the door as he looked at her bowed head. "I'm sorry, Lorelai," he said softly. "You don't know how sorry I am."

Lorelai sat up as he closed the door firmly and walked around the back of the Jeep, pulling his keys from his pocket as the rain soaked his clothes. She watched as he bent his head under the glow of the security light and searched for the right key, and then reached to open her door. Lorelai jumped down from the seat, oblivious to the pummeling downpour and called out to him, "So, now you know."

Luke's head jerked up as she pushed the door shut and started toward him. He stared straight into her eyes as she closed the distance between them and kept them locked on hers as she grasped his head between her palms. "Now you know," she repeated as she pressed her lips to his once more, kissing him hungrily.

Luke dropped his keys and wound his arms around her tightly, hauling her up against him and then pressing her back against the rough brick wall as their tongues tangled. Lorelai pushed on his shoulders, pressing her head back against the wall as she gasped for air. Her hands pushed frantically at his sodden coat as she tipped her face up, letting the cold rain cool her flushed skin. Luke's lips and tongue were hot, branding her as he greedily lapped the cool water coursing down the creamy skin of her neck.

"It was you. I was thinking about you. Touching me," she confessed as she arched into him.

"I want to. I want to touch you," he growled against her ear.

"Invite me in," she panted as she pushed him away. Her bright blue eyes bore into his as they stared at one another in the pale blue circle of light.

"I want more than that," he said bluntly, raising voice to be sure she heard him over the driving rain.

"Invite me in," she persisted.

Luke nodded and bent to pick up his keys. He jingled them lightly as he sought out the correct one and asked, "Do you want to come in?"

"Yes, please," Lorelai answered with a small smug smile.

Luke unlocked the back door and then held it open for her, pushing his wet hair back with his hand as he followed her inside. "We don't, uh, we don't have to…" he began in a low voice.

"You're soaked to the skin," Lorelai said as she looked down at the water dripping off of his jacket.

"Well, you aren't much better," he retorted as he reached out to gently pull her damp hair away from her cheek.

Lorelai closed her eyes as he smoothed his hand over her damp hair. "It'll go bonkers," she murmured.

"Hmm?"

"My hair. It'll be a total clown wig in a few minutes," she said as she opened her eyes and smiled shyly.

Luke tugged lightly at one of the curls springing up and said, "I like it."

"I like you too," Lorelai said as she stepped into him and pressed her lips to his once more.

Luke threaded his fingers into her hair, grasping the nape of her neck as she propelled him back against the wall. Lorelai giggled as he let out an 'Oof' and then she whispered, "It was your turn, be glad it's not raining in here."

"I meant it," he said as he stared down at her intently, holding her close to him. "We don't, I mean I want, I want to see you again," he told her.

"And I want to see much more of you," Lorelai answered as she pulled away. "Luke, you don't have to say that, okay? I totally understand."

"What?"

"You don't have to…"

"I want to. That's what I was telling you. What that hell is that supposed to mean, I don't have to?" he asked with a perplexed frown as she smoothed her hands over his chest.

"I just meant that I'd understand if you don't want to get involved," she said with a shrug.

"Aren't I involved?"

Lorelai looked up at his sharp tone of voice. "I just meant that you shouldn't feel obligated."

Luke shook his head and said, "Of course I should."

A small pleased smile curved her lips as she asked, "You really want to?"

"What are we talking about?" he asked with a befuddled laugh.

"You don't have to date me," Lorelai said plainly.

"You think I don't want to? I just said I did!"

Lorelai blinked up at him as she lowered her hands and tugging lightly on the front of his damp sweater. "You really want to?"

"A movie? Dinner again?" he asked.

Lorelai's smile bloomed. "You asked, I'll pay."

Luke shook his head and glanced down as her fingers slipped under the hem of his sweater. "I'll pay," he grunted.

"Caveman," she accused with a teasing grin as she pressed her hand to his bare stomach, rubbing her palm against the soft hair.

"Yep."

"Gonna club me over the head and drag me up to your cave?" she teased.

"I want to," he said, his voice rough and raspy.

Lorelai lowered her hands and took his hand in hers, her fingers closing around his tightly as she started for the steps. "Up here, right?" she asked.

"Yeah." Luke followed behind her, mesmerized by the sway of her hips as she moved steadily upwards. "You looked so, uh, beautiful," he said softly, a faint tinge of pink coloring his cheeks as she glanced over her shoulder. "Sorry," he apologized faintly.

Lorelai stepped aside, tucking her hands behind her as she leaned back against the wall and waited for him to unlock the door. "This was your dad's office?"

"Yeah." Luke opened the door and then motioned for her to step inside. "I, uh, I wasn't expecting company," he said as flipped the light switch, turning on the lamp by the door before stripping off his wet coat and hanging it on a hook. "Here," he said as he reached for the collar of her jacket and held it as she extricated her arms.

"Mega Man?" she asked with a smirk as he draped her coat over the back of a chair.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Protein shakes. It's good for you," he grumbled, knowing he'd look up to find that delighted smile. He wasn't wrong.

"Now I know all of your secrets," she teased as she slid her hands up over his shoulders.

"You do?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at her as he laced his fingers together in the small of her back.

Lorelai nodded and then kissed him softly. "You hoarded rubber bands from your paper route because you wanted to make the world's largest rubber band ball and be in the _Guinness Book of World Records_." When he snorted, her smile widened. She kissed him again, her lips lingering on his as she pulled away. "You hated counting nuts and bolts in your dad's store, but you did it because you loved your dad," she said softly, trailing the side of her finger along his firm jaw.

"You may have that one right," he said gruffly.

"You know who tips well, and you give them better service," she accused as she pressed her lips to the pulse jumping just beneath his ear.

"That's not true, you're a crappy tipper," he rasped.

"What do you put in your coffee?" she asked in a low, enticing voice as she kissed his neck.

"A little cinnamon," he whispered.

Lorelai laughed as she nuzzled his ear, and then whispered, "See? Now I know them all. You are a mega man and a peeping Tom."

"Lorelai," he groaned.

"Peeping Luke," she corrected softly, and then caught his earlobe with her teeth. Lorelai sucked on it gently and then pulled back, her eyes lingering on his parted lips before she met his gaze. "You didn't look away?" she asked softly.

"I couldn't," he said in a whisper. Luke cleared his throat and then said, "I should have, but I didn't."

Lorelai nodded slowly and then stepped back, her fingertips trailing over his shoulders and chest as she lowered her hands. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "Show me."

"What?" he asked breathlessly.

"Show me how you would have done it." Lorelai closed her eyes, swaying against him, somehow knowing that he'd hold her.

Luke tightened his grip on her waist as he lifted one hand to her cheek. He stroked her skin gently with his thumb, and then let his hand smooth down her neck to her collarbone and then brush lightly over her breast before coming to rest in the curve of her waist. He watched as her eyelashes fluttered and then captured her lips with his.

His fingers curled possessively into her waist as she parted her lips, taking him in as he angled his head and kissed her deeply. Lorelai moaned softly, setting his body aflame. Luke gathered the hem of her top in his fingers, pulling it up over her stomach to reveal the soft skin that had tormented him all day. He caressed her stomach, both hands gliding over her skin as he pushed her shirt up higher, lifting his mouth from hers only long enough to pull it up over her head.

As he lowered his lips again, Lorelai whispered, "Wait." Luke pulled back, his brow furrowing as he blinked at her. Lorelai gave him a reassuring smile and then pulled his sweater up over his stomach.

"Oh," he muttered as he helped her pull it off.

"Wet jeans," Lorelai said with a shy smile as her hands came to rest on his belt buckle.

"Wet everything," Luke answered, looking down as she began to open the belt.

"You aren't kidding," Lorelai murmured, her smile growing as he chuckled. "Help me out," she cajoled as she opened his jeans and tried to push the heavy, wet denim from his hips.

Luke quickly peeled the clinging jeans down over his thighs as Lorelai opened her own and then began to shimmy out of them. When he had stripped off everything but his boxer briefs, Luke straightened up to see Lorelai unhooking her bra. "Whoa, hey," he said as he caught the straps and drew them down her arms.

"Sorry, anxious," she said with a shy smile. Luke returned as she let the bra fall to the floor, and then pulled her close, shielding her breasts with his chest as a low chuckle rumbled up from his chest. "Nothing you haven't seen before?" she asked in a softly teasing voice.

"Shh," he murmured against her ear as he started walking backwards towards his bed. When his legs bumped the mattress, he loosened his hold on her and leaned down to turn on the lamp beside his bed.

Lorelai sank down onto the mattress and then laid back, her hair damp and curling wildly as it lay spread over his pillow. She saw him suck in a sharp breath as he looked down at her bathed in the lamplight. "Like this?" she asked softly as she trailed her fingertips lightly between her breasts.

"Yes," Luke answered as he pressed one knee into the mattress and then braced himself on his hands, unable to look away.

"You. I want _you _to touch me," Lorelai whispered.

Luke lowered himself onto his side, stretching out beside her as she reached up and gently caressed his bicep. Cupping her face in his hand, Luke tipped her lips up to meet his and kissed her. His lips brushed against hers slowly, increasing the pressure with maddening deliberation as his fingertips skimmed over her skin. He pulled back, looking down as his hand strayed down her neck and his fingers spread wide over the slim column of her throat. He dipped his head and pressed his lips to the hollow at the base of it, and then watched with avid interest as he stroked the pale, freckled skin of her chest. Finally, he cupped her breast, weighing it gently in his palm as his hot breath tickled her lips.

"Beautiful?" Lorelai whispered as he teased the beaded tip of her nipple with his thumb.

"Incredible," he answered as he moved down to claim her with his mouth.

Lorelai arched up off of the mattress, her fingers tangling in his wet hair and squeezing tiny drops of moisture from it. She shivered, her nipples tightening further as Luke released her breast to soothe away the cold wet drops with the heat of his tongue.

He looked up at her, his eyes dazed with desire as he echoed her earlier words, "Oh my god."

"Touch me," Lorelai said, her voice drenched in need.

Suddenly, his hands were everywhere; caressing her arms, her shoulders, her breasts, her stomach. He kneaded her thighs impatiently as he suckled her other breast, teasing her nipple with his tongue and then drawing it deep into his mouth.

Lorelai bucked against him, gripping his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh as he kissed his way down her stomach. He parted her legs with his hands as he slid lower, pressing his open mouth to her satiny panties and letting his breath warm her. She moaned loudly and he looked up, trying to force himself to play it cool.

"Good?"

"So good," she panted as she ran her hands through his damp hair. His wet curls tickled her thigh as he pressed his mouth to the tender skin just below the leg of her panties and sucked gently. His teeth scraped against her skin, nipping at the edge of the elastic. "Luke," she gasped as he pressed his open mouth to her panties, his tongue stroking her through the thin fabric. Lorelai grappled with the elastic at her hips, pushing them down as he pressed his tongue against them, holding them in place. "Please," she whispered desperately.

He brushed her hands aside and roughly pulled the scrap of fabric down. "Sorry," he rasped as he rocked back onto his heels to remove them.

"Not sorry," Lorelai answered. She looked down at him boldly as she cupped both of her breasts. "I'm not sorry you saw me. I'm not sorry I want you," she told him.

Luke gave up all pretense of acting cool and smooth as he practically dove for her. His fingers dug into her supple thighs as he pressed his lips to her sex, groaning as she opened for him. He raked his tongue demandingly through her folds, grinding his hips into the bed as he tasted her. "Jesus, Lorelai," he croaked as he pressed her legs further apart and began to lick her hungrily.

"Oh!" she gasped as he circled her clit with his tongue and then dragged it the length of her again.

Luke drew her clit into his mouth and sucked gently as his fingers teased her. He pressed one finger into her, groaning against her clit as her hot, tight walls closed around it. His pressed his mouth to her thigh, fighting for control. "I want you, I want you," he said in a gravelly voice.

Lorelai pressed her lips together as she ground mindlessly against his hand. Then, she tugged on his arm and whispered, "Come here."

Luke rose up onto his knees and stared down at her, still stroking her as he swallowed hard. He glanced down at his hand as he tried to force the words from his parched mouth. "Are you sure?" he asked hoarsely.

"I'm sure. I'm sure," she murmured as she pushed against his fingers. "Please don't stop."

Luke fumbled slightly as he tried to push his briefs down with one hand. Lorelai rose up slightly and tugged on them, trying to help. With a muffled grunt, he pulled his fingers from her heat, closing his eyes as she whimpered her disappointment, and then pushed them down. His erection sprung up against his stomach as he kicked his legs free of the material and then fell forward, bracing himself on his hands above her.

Lorelai looked up at him as she wrapped her fingers around his stiff shaft, stroking him gently as she guided him to her. Her hands slid over his narrow hips, cupping the taut mounds of his ass as he pressed forward, his lips parting as she did, and his eyes closing as she closed around him.

"Been a while," he croaked as he held himself still, buried deep inside of her.

"Me too," Lorelai admitted as she forced her muscles to relax, feeling her body stretch to accommodate him.

"You feel so good," he whispered helplessly as he began to move slowly.

"So good," Lorelai moaned as she squeezed his ass, urging him deeper still.

"I may, I'm not, it's been a while," he stammered.

"Why did we wait so long?" she asked softly as she rose up to meet him.

He moved faster as her muscles clenched around him, pull him back to her with each thrust of his hips. Lorelai pulled him down, moaning as his weight pressed her into the mattress. She kissed him heatedly, her lips clinging to his as their breaths mingled.

"Lorelai," he whispered against her lips.

"I'm so close," she answered breathlessly.

Luke groaned and then thrust harder, driving her up with hard, sure strokes, the base of his cock teasing her clit with each stroke.

"Oh god, Luke, I'm so close," she panted as he buried his face in her damp hair.

He inhaled the scent of her shampoo, trying to hang on, thinking of anything other than the feel of her body coiling tightly around him. He felt her tense as she pushed against him, and his control snapped. He pushed into her, burying himself as far as he could as she pulsed around him, squeezing his climax from him.

"Oh Luke," she whispered as she writhed against him, riding out the shockwaves of pleasure that coursed through their bodies.

He murmured her name as he kissed her neck, damp strands of her hair clinging to her skin and his lips as they moved over her mindlessly. Their breathing slowed and he felt her muscles grow lax beneath him. "Beautiful," he whispered, suddenly too shy to lift his head.

Lorelai smiled up at the ceiling as her hands skimmed over his smooth back. "You think?"

Her fingers tangled in the curls at the nape of his neck, as he kissed the slowing pulse, and nuzzled her ear. "Incredible," he murmured in a slightly stronger voice.

"Now I know another secret about you," she said smugly.

Luke smiled as he lifted his head and looked down at her soberly. "I lied about the cinnamon," he said as he pushed up onto his elbows, relieving her of some of his weight, but refusing to relinquish his position.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "You did?"

"I had to. If I tell you, you may not come back," he said defensively as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly.

"You don't think I will? You promised me a movie."

"Or dinner," he reminded her.

"A movie," she replied with a nod.

"You really want to date me?" he asked cocking his head.

Lorelai laughed. "A little late to ask that now. You really want to date me?" she countered.

"Yes. But you, you could have any guy," he told her, staring deep into her eyes.

"I don't want just any guy, I want you," she answered truthfully.

Luke's smile was slow, but his eyes crinkled at the corners. "Nutmeg. I add a pinch of nutmeg to the grounds."


	39. The Gods must be Crazy about You

**A/N: Okay, I'm working on my season six issues. It's like walking over hot coals. Even with the parts that were good, it's hard not to think about what comes later. So, I attempted this one. Warning: there's more sap running here than there is in February in Vermont.**

**The God's must be Crazy about You**

Lorelai slipped quietly from the bed and padded to the wardrobe rack that currently housed the contents of her closet. As she pulled two dresses from the rod, she heard the rustle of the bedclothes and turned back toward the bed holding the dresses up in front of her. "Which one goes better with a baby?"

Luke blinked blearily and then pointed to the green dress. "I like the green one."

"It's not too sheer? Because I'm gonna be in a church," she said doubtfully, inching the coral colored dress out a bit for his perusal.

"Looks good from here," he mumbled, knowing that his opinion would actually have little bearing on which dress she chose.

Lorelai held the dresses up and stared at them critically. "Yeah, maybe. Man, she's good. She's really good," she muttered under her breath.

"Who?"

"Sookie."

"Ah," Luke murmured as he rolled onto his back and flung one arm up over his head.

Lorelai lowered her arms and all but glared at him. "This whole baptism thing is just a ruse to get me and Rory together. She's played me! She's played me like a Stradivarius."

Luke scratched his chest absently and shrugged as he said, "So, don't go, then."

"No! I've got to go."

"Why?"

"Because she asked me to be a godmother. You don't say no to that," she told him impatiently.

"Why?"

"Look, I know what she's doing. And she knows what she's doing. But no one else knows what she's doing, so on the slight chance that she's not doing what I think she's doing, which is actually just doing what she wants to do, then I will be the jerk who wouldn't be the godmother to her best friend's baby 'cause she thought something was happening that wasn't. And that will be the story everyone remembers, understand?" she said in a huff.

Luke knew that this was an argument he'd never win, so he simply answered the question that he had been asked, "I like the green dress."

Lorelai blew out and exasperated breath and shoved both dress back onto the rack. Luke sat up and lurched across the bed, reaching for her. Once he caught her hips, he pulled her back toward the bed as he fell back. "Fine, the pinkish one," he growled as he used the element of surprise to topple her onto the bed.

"It's coral." Lorelai pushed at his shoulders as he crawled on top of her, pinning her to the bed. "Luke, I have to get ready," she protested.

He shook his head as he gazed down at her intently. "Not for two more hours."

"I want to get up," she protested. "I'm going to need coffee, lots and lots of coffee if I'm going to do this."

Luke shook his head again as he lowered his lips to kiss her softly. "Don't get up yet," he whispered, his voice soft and raspy as he pulled away. "Stay here with me. I want to play you too," he added as he plucked gently at her pink shirt.

Lorelai blinked in surprise and then asked, "What happened to your 'no sex in the living room' rule?"

"There was no rule."

"You were all worried about how sheer the curtains are," she reminded him as he nipped at her neck.

"I've decided to become an exhibitionist," he growled in her ear.

Lorelai couldn't help but snort. She pushed at his arms weakly, putting up a token protest. "I have to go to church in two hours," she whispered as he pressed his lips to the pulse that jumped in her throat.

"I know," he said, his lips curving against her skin.

Lorelai gasped as he worked his way along her jaw. "You want me to burn in hell?"

"I want you with me," he answered in a matter of fact tone. He captured her lips and kissed her sweetly. "I need you to go wherever I go, or vise versa," he said solemnly.

"Are you going to hell?"

"Probably. No matter what, I'm followin' you," he said. Luke ducked his head and kissed her possessively. He nipped at her lower lip, catching it between his and sucking on it gently before setting off across her cheek to her ear.

"I might outlive you, you know," Lorelai said softly, shivering as he traced the shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue.

Luke laughed shortly and then pressed a big smacking kiss to her cheek. "Not likely."

"Very likely," she refuted. "All those preservatives may actually work in my favor."

"Probably not, but okay," he conceded too quickly.

Lorelai frowned as Luke pushed her shirt up over her stomach and nuzzled her neck. "You gave up too easily."

"I'll go first," he mumbled against her neck.

"Shh, don't say that," Lorelai admonished as she ran her hands through his rumpled hair.

"Just sayin'," he grumbled as he tugged her up a little and pulled on the shirt, skimming it up over her head.

Lorelai looked up at him as she dropped back to the bed. "Don't say," she chastised him softly.

Luke nodded his understanding and then smoothed his hands over her ribs, letting them slide up to caress her breasts as he caught his weight on his elbows. Lorelai watched him; smiling as his already sleepy eyes grew slumberous with desire, moaning softly at the play of his fingers over the sensitive tips, and circling her hips instinctively as the strength of his arousal pressed against her thigh.

"What if I repent after you're gone?" she asked teasingly.

"Don't," he ordered gruffly.

She smiled as she arched into his touch as she murmured, "This isn't like you. You're not a morning guy."

"I am today," Luke answered. He claimed one rosy tip with his mouth, drawing on her gently.

"You just want to corrupt me." Lorelai cradled the back of his head.

"I could go with you," he said raggedly as he moved to her other breast.

"To the baptism?"

"Anywhere," he answered gruffly. He suckled her deeply, groaning his approval as she moaned. "Either dress," he said as lifted his head, caressing her with work roughened fingers. "You'll look beautiful with a baby."

Lorelai's smile was slow and lazily sensuous as she looked down at his hands covering her breasts, knowing that he wasn't necessarily talking about little Martha Belleville. He kissed his way down her stomach, pressing his lips firmly to the soft curve at her hipbone, his thumbs teasing her taut nipples as he pressed his chest against her. Lorelai undulated against him, her arousal intensifying as she sought the friction she so desperately needed.

"I've gotta make sure you're beyond redemption," he said as he slid his hands down to the waistband of her pants.

"Oh yeah? How're you gonna do that?" she asked with a laugh.

Luke rocked back on his heels, dragging her pants and panties slowly down her legs. He dropped the tangled wad of clothing over the end of the bed and crossed his arms over his stomach, pulling his olive green t-shirt over his head before pushing his own sweats down. After kicking his pants and boxers from his foot, Luke pressed one knee into the mattress, crawling up over her as Lorelai scooted back onto the bed, her eyes lighting as she grinned up at him. "You don't think I can?" he asked softly.

"Oh, if anyone can, it's you," she said as he lowered himself onto her, pressing her into the bed.

Luke brushed his lips teasingly over her ear. "Don't you forget that," he told her.

"No, I won't."

Luke slipped onto his side as he trailed his fingertips lightly over her collarbone and then down into the valley between her breasts, letting them linger there until she pushed up off of the bed, silently asking for his touch. "You'll think about me," Luke said in a deep husky voice. When her eyelashes swept up and her bright blue eyes met his, he nodded, letting the pads of his fingers circle her breast in a maddening spiral.

Lorelai wet her lips with the tip of her tongue when at last the pad of his middle finger came to rest at the very tip of her nipple, massaging it lightly. "I might," she whispered.

"You will," he asserted as he lowered his lips to her other breast and pressed the tip of his tongue to the other pink crest. "You'll think about me today, this morning, when you're standing in that church," he murmured against her sensitive skin.

"Luke," she whispered her eyes widening.

He drew her into his mouth and suckled insistently, fueled by her soft mews of surrender. He released her and looked up, meeting her eyes directly as he said, "You'll think about me when you're holding that baby."

"Oh God," Lorelai whispered as his hand trailed down to tangle in the dark curls at the apex of her legs.

He parted her with one finger, trailing it along her damp folds teasingly as he stared at her intently. "I want you to go wherever I go."

"Okay," she acquiesced as he stroked her gently, stirring her nerve endings into a frenzy of need.

"Promise," he coaxed. "No repenting after I'm gone."

"I changed my mind. You're probably right, the preservatives won't work." Lorelai pulled on his biceps, urging him back on top of her.

Luke pushed up onto her and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. Lorelai opened her mouth, pulling him in as she clung to his back. Her nails bit into his smooth skin as their tongues tangled, hopelessly enmeshed with one another. He pressed into her, groaning into her mouth as she opened to him, pulling him into her soft, wet heat. Luke lowered himself onto his elbows, cradling her head between his arms as he pulled away and waited patiently for her to open her eyes. When she did, Luke saw how vulnerable looked and his breath caught in his throat.

"Everything will work out," he assured her hoarsely.

"I hope so," she whispered.

"It will," he said with absolute conviction. "But Sookie can't play you; you're mine to play with."

Lorelai smiled tremulously as she reached up and cupped his cheek, closing her eyes again as he continued to move slowly in and out of her.

"Tell me what I can do," he said raggedly.

"Nothing," Lorelai whispered, not daring to look at him.

"I have to do something."

Lorelai shook her head slightly and then opened her eyes. "No. You can't fix this," she whispered.

"I want to. I want to so bad," he ground out as he pressed into her harder.

"I know, I know," Lorelai panted. She rose up off of the bed and kissed him firmly, her lips clinging to his as she gave in to gravity and fell back to the bed once more.

"My ass is gonna fall," he told her breathlessly.

"What?"

"Sookie said I had to get this fixed and set a date before my ass falls."

"That Sookie, she's a busy girl."

"My ass isn't falling, is it?"

Lorelai reached down and cupped his ass in both hands; giving him a reassuring squeeze as she whispered, "Fine ass, great ass." Luke peered down at her and slowed. "What?" she asked with a puzzled frown.

"You're not gonna," he said as he nodded to their joined bodies.

Lorelai glanced down and then winced as she bit her lip and then shook her head slightly. When Luke began to push away, she grasped his ass to stop him. "No!"

"It's okay," he assured her.

"No, you," she said as she motioned for him to staring moving again.

Luke gave her a crooked smile as he shook his head and said, "Only if I'm with you."

He slid his arms under her and held her tight, tucking his chin into her neck as he rolled over onto his back. A shocked laugh escaped her lips as Lorelai pulled her hands out from under him to push up. Luke's fingers slipped through her hair, brushing it back from her face as she rose up onto her knees.

"I could play you," she said with a sly smile.

"Easily," he agreed.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "You're playing me right now."

"I like plucking your strings," he said, tucking his hands behind his head with a deliberately lazy smile. Lorelai shifted, pressing down on him and squeezing him deep inside of her. Luke's eyebrows shot up as he said gruffly, "If I go; I'm taking you with me."

"We'll see," Lorelai said smugly as she began to ride him slowly.

"I promise," Luke said in a low, deep voice. His fingers curled into her hips, guiding them down on him as he thrust up into her.

"Damn, you feel good," she whispered. When he responded only with a strangled groan, she smiled and began to move faster. "I'll be thinking about you."

"Yes," he choked.

"I'll be standing in church, holding that little girl, and thinking about you, about this," she said with a sultry smile, egging him on.

Luke sat up, his hand cupping the base of her neck, his fingers pressing into her shoulder as he pushed her down harder, pushing up into her. "Yes, you will," he replied firmly.

"Oh!" she gasped.

"That's right," he breathed into her ear as her movements became more frantic.

Lorelai laughed. "Damn you."

"Probably damned already," he said breathlessly.

"No."

"No?"

"Angel," she whispered as she pressed her lips to the top of his head.

"I love you," he whispered against her throat, feeling her breath catch against his lips.

"Luke," she whispered as she ground against him, circling her hips, holding him buried deep inside of her.

His lips curved into a slight smile as he felt her pulsing around him. "I'll do anything, anything," he panted desperately. Lorelai trembled as an intense burst of release shuddered through her body. Luke pressed his hands against her back, holding her close as she climaxed, pulling his from him. He pressed his lips to her neck, burrowing into her, nuzzling her as he gasped for breath.

"Oh God," Lorelai whispered as she sagged against him, pressing her cheek to his hair and running her hands down his back.

"Praying?" he muttered.

"Thanks," she whispered.

Luke chuckled as he slowly pulled back to look at her. "Needed that?"

"We needed that," she answered. He nodded mutely and then pressed his lips to hers. "You know I love you too, right?" she asked softly.

"I know," he answered.

"And your ass is in great shape. Perfect," she reassured him.

"Great. Thanks."

"And we are going to get married before it falls so Sookie can use her cake topper," she promised.

"She showed you?"

"It is your ass," Lorelai confirmed with a shrug.

"Do you want me to come today?"

"You already did."

"Ha," he said flatly. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Lorelai shook her head as she stroked his rough cheek. "You go to work. I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

Lorelai nodded and then kissed him softly. "One of us should be a safe distance away, just in case lightning strikes."

"I'm coming with you," he said as he hugged her tightly.

Lorelai shook her head adamantly and then pressed her lips to his forehead as she whispered, "Not this time. This one I have to go alone."


	40. Applying the Fundamentals

**A/N: First of all, **_**merci beaucoup**_** to my muse, bigbagofweird, who tolerates my madness admirably. Secondly, I stole blatantly from a classic film and translated it into smut. I know that I should be ashamed. I promise I'll work on developing a conscience later. Third, all the fan fic in world doesn't add up to a hill of beans without you, the reader. **_**Merci. Je t'aime.**_

**Applying the Fundamentals**

Lorelai was having fun. She knew that the thought itself shouldn't be so disturbing, because no one likes fun as much as Lorelai Gilmore, but still it was a little unsettling. This always happened when she spent time with Luke. Time outside of the diner, time that didn't involve the potential safety hazards of her porch rail, or a litany on the latest insanity proposed at a town meeting. Time just hanging out with Luke talking, or in this case, not talking, because talking was strictly against the rules. Normally, that alone would be enough to set her to twitching, whether she made the rule or not, but in this case, it was fun. Look at the sheer plethora of mocking material she had garnered in the first fifteen seconds. Seriously, the FBI warning? Had he been in a hole since 1987? That was big fun, as far as she was concerned.

And then there was the fun of making up more rules as the evening progressed. There would be no shifting, no phone calls, and no going to the bathroom because there would be no pausing. The opening credits had barely begun before Luke called a no rustling with food containers rule. That led to them agreeing to suspend the no pausing rule until the bulk of the food he had provided, as well as the containers Chinese she had contributed, had been depleted. Once that had been taken care of, there was a mutually agreed upon bathroom break, followed by another session of sanctioned squishing around, and finally, they started the movie.

Lorelai was excited to share this with him. It was always fun to introduce someone to a classic like _Casablanca_. She remembered the first time Rory had watched it with her. She remembered the tears that flowed from her daughter's bright blue eyes as the plane took off at the end. She remembered the heartfelt discussion that followed; philosophical ramblings about love and loss, sacrificing the desires of the heart for the greater good, and all that noble claptrap that women can convince themselves to buy into when they don't really have a real frame of reference for any of it.

As they watched the beginning of the movie, Lorelai couldn't help but wonder if her own perceptions of the classic love triangle between Rick and Ilsa and Victor may have changed over the years. Would she have gotten on that plane? Would she have chucked it all and stayed in Casablanca, wrapped in the arms of the man she loved? _No, not much has changed. It's still a tough call,_ she decided.

She studied Humphrey Bogart closely. Lorelai had to admit, she could see the attraction. He may not have been classically handsome, but there was a rough masculinity about him that any woman would have a hard time resisting. But then there was Paul Henreid. He may have been a little more beautiful than Humphrey, but he didn't have the same magnetic appeal. But he was appealing, nonetheless. Tall and elegant, he gave Victor Laszlo not only the proud bearing of a born leader; but also the soft wave of his hair that a woman would itch to touch. But Bogart commanded the screen, daring you to doubt the depth of his love for Ilsa, clinging to that hard shell of an exterior even when he his dark eyes reflected an intense vulnerability that made a woman want to throw herself into his arms. He was the kind of man who would lay down his life for her, no matter what he may say about being the only cause he believes in. That was the fatal flaw for Victor Laszlo. You knew that he would lay down his life for his country, for his beliefs, and for what was right; but you were never quite sure that he would do the same for poor Ilsa.

Lorelai's eyes were drawn to Luke. She couldn't help it. She had to watch him. Watching him was all part of the fun. She had to know if Luke would understand. Would he side with Victor, or would he empathize with Rick? Would Luke Danes choose duty and honor, or would he throw caution to the wind and choose the woman he loved? She studied his profile as Rick was about to spot Ilsa for the first time. She saw his adam's apple bob as he swallowed, she could almost feel his body tense as Rick froze, paralyzed by the opening stains of As Time Goes By. The muscle in his jaw jumped as poor Sam closed the piano and quickly wheeled it away from the confrontation that was sure to come.

As Rick and Ilsa's awkward reunion played out on screen, Lorelai found herself absorbed in Luke's profile. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the pillow she held in her lap as her eyes traced the line where the rough stubble gave way to smooth skin. She found herself fascinated by the tiny patch of beard near the edge of his mouth, wondering if it was a millimeter longer because he had missed it with the last glancing blow of his razor. When he licked his lips and cleared his throat softly, she turned quickly toward the television, fixing her eyes on the screen as if they had never strayed.

But soon, they strayed again. The tiny lines around his eyes showed an almost luminescent white upon closer inspection. And they were close, much closer than they normally got. Lorelai couldn't help but be aware of that. He was big, bulky and solid, sprawled on her couch as if he sat there every night. And for a moment, she wished he did. She blinked rapidly as her head swiveled toward the screen once more, sternly telling herself that he would not be walking into this particular gin joint every night.

But as Rick drank away his pain, drowning in booze and memories, Lorelai couldn't help but look. His lips were drawn into a thin line, as if he knew all too well what Rick was going through. His dark lashes swept down over his cheekbones and then whisked back up again, revealing those impossibly blue eyes, but not what was going on behind them. Was he thinking about happier times? A girl he loved at his side as they sped down a Connecticut country road? Was it Rachel he pictured? Nicole? Was there champagne and talk of Paris? Lorelai gave her head a little shake and knotted her fingers in her lap, pressing them into the beaded pillow as she turned back to the television. And there he was, poor Rick, trapped in Casablanca with the girl he loved. And her husband.

Given the chaotic thoughts swirling around in her head, Lorelai was a little bit proud that she made it three more minutes before she felt compelled to check on that tiny patch of beard again. Once she was certain that she hadn't imagined it, her eyes strayed to his jaw and she found herself wondering if that scruff would feel softer than she imagined it would. She quickly averted her eyes as he leaned forward, lifting his bottle of beer from the coffee table and taking a long pull from it. She dared a glance out of the corner of her eye as he went to put it down again, and saw the pink of his tongue as he licked a drop of moisture from his lip right next to that tantalizingly tiny patch of hair. He looked over at her, and she forced a small tight-lipped smile before focusing intently on the screen once more.

By the time Victor approached Rick about the possibility of securing travel papers, Luke had slumped down a little further, his long fingers curling around his bicep. Lorelai raised her own hand, curling her fingers over her curving lips as she looked over at him, anticipating his reaction to Rick questioning Victor's feeling for Ilsa.

"Stop doing that," he grumbled as he glanced over at her.

"Shh, no talking."

"Then stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Looking at me."

"Vain party, table for one," she mocked.

Luke let out an exasperated breath. "You know what I mean. You're watching me watch the movie. It's creepy."

Lorelai grinned. "I enjoy watching people watch certain parts of certain movies."

"But you look over just before something big happens, so I always know something's coming," he pointed out.

"Oh, I do?"

"You did it just before Humphrey Bogart saw Ingrid Bergman for the first time."

Lorelai shrugged. "Well, she's the costar. You knew something was coming," she argued as she lifted the remote and began to rewind a little.

The phone rang and Luke muttered, "There goes our flow."

Lorelai pressed play again as she said, "Well, we missed stuff while we were talking."

The answering machine clicked on, and Lorelai's voice filled the room. "Hi, it's Lorelai. Leave me a message."

"You're back too far, we've seen this," Luke complained.

"I didn't. I was looking at you," she answered with a sassy smile.

"We'll never get through this," Luke muttered as the machine beeped.

"Mom, are you there?" Rory's disembodied voice called out.

"Oh, wait, wait," Lorelai said as she leapt from the couch to grab the phone.

"Come on," Luke groaned.

"Mom, if you're there, pick up," Rory said, sounding a little more desperate.

"Honey, are you okay?" Lorelai asked anxiously as she picked up.

"There goes the phone rule," Luke muttered as he reached for the remote.

Lorelai glared at him as she listened to Rory complain about her evening. Then her face softened sympathetically as Rory poured out her doubts and fears about her ability to date competently. She nodded along as Rory explained about the urine mints, and then gasped, "Oh, my God. I've been eating those mints for years!" She lowered the phone and asked Luke, "Hey, did you know about urine mints?"

"What?"

She waved him off as Rory went on in a rush, and then offered what little encouragement she could muster. Finally, resolved to suck it up, Rory hung up. Lorelai pressed the button to end the call and sighed, "Oh, poor thing."

"Dating's the worst," Luke commiserated gruffly.

"Yeah, but they're sitting on the same side of the table and that's awkward, and she can't think of what to say next, and you know, she's just gotta go through it and figure it out on her own. You just have to throw them out there and let them learn what those wings are for."

Luke nodded his agreement, and then shrugged as he said, "She could say there's a draft."

"What?"

"Where she's sitting. She could say the air conditioning is hitting her, switch to the other side, and just blame it on that," he suggested.

"That's perfect," Lorelai said excitedly as she began to dial. "Hey. Is he back yet?" she asked as soon as Rory answered. She shook her head 'no' to Luke and then forged ahead with the plan. "Say there's a draft and move to the other side of the table. It's very ladylike to feel drafts. He'll totally understand." She paused as Rory processed the information, glancing back at Luke, her eyes inexplicably drawn to his mouth. "And then ask what his brother and sister's names are. He'll like that you cared enough to confirm," she suggested, glancing over at Luke for his nod of approval. "Don't worry about the conversation. Just talk, and if the talk doesn't flow, it doesn't. And stay away from urine-related topics, and you're good to go," she assured her with a triumphant smile.

"Oh, the draft thing was Luke's," she added, giving credit where credit was due. When he smiled, she saw it. There on his bottom lip. Just a centimeter from the millimeters of bristly hair that had been taunting her all night, a tiny freckle marring the pale pink perfection of his lip. "Go, go," she whispered and then hung up.

Lorelai sighed as she clutched the phone and flashed Luke a grateful smile. "Oh, good. I feel so much better. She says thanks."

Luke nodded his acknowledgement as he smirked and said, "I wouldn't trade places with her for the world."

"Really? You wouldn't want to go out with a boy named Trevor? You might want to wait and see his picture," she teased, trying to force herself not to stare at the tiny freckle just down and to the right of that tiny patch of hair.

"I mean dating. It's a horror."

"It's the only cure for the singleness thing, barring ordering a spouse off the internet," she said with a wan smile.

"I missed nothing by not dating," he insisted.

"Not true."

"If I had dated a lot, I'd still be single. I'd just have spent a lot of bad nights at Tony Roma's."

"Yeah, but dating is how you get to know your potential partner. It's the only way," she argued, mentally cataloging each of the heretofore invisible freckles that dusted his nose and the apples of his cheeks.

Luke shook his head and said, "There's the gut. I can tell if I'm comfortable with someone within seconds of meeting them. I feel it here. I felt it with Rachel. I felt it with Nicole. I was immediately relaxed."

"You've got the gut thing," she said doubtfully, forcing her eyes up to meet his.

"Well, it's just knowing that someone will let you be. That's a gut thing," he answered with an emphatic nod.

"And you felt that with Nicole?" she asked softly, wondering where those tiny flecks of gold and green in his blue, blue eyes had come from and why she had never noticed them before.

"Well, yeah."

"And yet you still broke up," she stated flatly. Lorelai marveled at the way that speaking those words aloud magically eased the tightness in her belly.

"Well, the gut thing doesn't really tell you if it's forever," he admitted gruffly. "It just means that you can stand to spend more than a couple of hours with someone."

"I see."

"Me and Nicole, well, maybe my gut was off. Maybe I ate something bad that night," he tried to joke.

"Aw, now Luke, you can't say that, you guys were together for a little while," she cajoled.

"Yeah, I guess, but it wasn't meant to work out. Not in the long run."

"No?"

"I mean, I never really got why she said yes to goin' out with me in the first place," he admitted gruffly.

"Why not?"

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "Look at me."

"I'm lookin' at you right now," she said, her eyes fixed on his profile, a puzzled frown creasing her brow.

"And what do you see? Small town diner guy who wears too much flannel and hates to shave," he grumbled.

"Luke, do you have any idea how good looking you are?" When he shot her a look, she shook her head and said, "Don't give me that, you have to know. You do have a mirror up there in the Bat Cave, don't you?"

Luke rolled his eyes again and said, "I know I'm not a dog."

"You're insanely handsome," Lorelai said with a laugh. "You are so far from Fido that you may as well be a cat."

"Can we just watch the movie?" he asked as he nodded to the screen.

"Good looking, smart, funny. Both funny 'ha ha' and funny as in, 'You have some serious quirks, my friend'. You own your own business, you know how to fix things, and the flannel council should be paying you to wear those shirts," she said as she tugged playfully at his sleeve.

"The Germans were just comin' in," he said as he waved his hand at the television.

"You're like Rick and Victor all wrapped up in one baseball cap topped package," she insisted.

"Rick and Victor?" he snorted.

"A little dangerous, a little mysterious, like Rick. But you have this really strong, like, moral fiber or something, like Victor. You always try to do what's right. You always try to do what's best for people," she continued. Lorelai shook her head in disbelief and tried to lighten her tone as she said, "Hell, if I wasn't petrified you'd ban me from the bean, I'd make a play for you myself."

Luke looked over at her, stunned. "You would?"

"Well, I think I just sold the crap out of you. If I wasn't scripting an infomercial in my head, I'd be snapping you up for myself."

"You would?" he asked with a derisive snort.

"I mean, I wouldn't be First Lady of Czechoslovakia, but Dame of the Diner? Doesn't sound too bad," she said with a laugh.

There was a long pause as his smirk faded and his eyes met hers. "And if I said I wouldn't ban you? That you can have all the coffee you want?" he asked quietly.

Lorelai's gaze dropped to his lips. There it was, that tiny little freckle on the edge of his bottom lip, teasing her, taunting her, all but begging her to kiss it. "Can I have that in writing?" she asked breathlessly.

"No."

Lorelai wet her lips with the tip of her tongue and then raised her eyes, meeting his head on. "I guess I'd have to take your word for that, you've never lied to me before."

"Right."

"What's your gut saying?" she asked in a whisper as she leaned in slightly.

"It's saying I'm very, very comfortable with you," he answered in a low, deep voice.

"Oh, man, that can't be good," Lorelai murmured as she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his. She captured his lower lip, trapping that tiny freckle between hers and drawing on it softly.

"Or it could be really good," he countered as she pulled away.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't in the script," Lorelai whispered, searching his eyes for those tiny flecks of gold and green, but drowning in blue. "We kissed. Was that just a kiss?"

"I hope not," he sighed.

"Is this a fight for love and glory?" she asked softly, her lips brushing over his.

"More like a case of do or die," he answered as he leaned in and kissed her again, this time leaving no room for doubt.

As his lips moved over hers, Lorelai couldn't help parting them a bit. She couldn't resist letting the tip of her tongue brush over his lower lip. She just had to taste that tiny freckle. Luke hummed softly, deep in his throat. He raised one hand, gathering her soft curls into his palm as his fingers pushed into her hair and then pressed against her scalp. The tip of his tongue found hers, and when they met, Lorelai's mouth opened in shock at the sizzle of desire that speared into her gut like a bayonet. She moaned as his tongue invaded her mouth, conquering hers and taking her prisoner.

Luke shifted, blatantly violating rule number one as he turned toward her, pushing her back into the cushions with the unleashed force of his kiss. The phone fell to the floor. The remote pressed into her stomach as she fell back, pulling him down with her with two fistfuls of flannel and moaning her approval into his mouth as the movie sprang to life once more. Their tongues tangled and her hands grew impatient, tugging at the pillow and remote control trapped between them. When he lifted up enough for her to pull them free, Lorelai brushed them aside with a flick of her hand before knocking the baseball cap from his head. Luke barely felt the hat roll off of his shoulder, but the feel of her fingers raking through his hair sent a violent shiver down his spine.

"Okay?" she asked breathlessly as he pulled back.

"Yeah," he answered in a dazed tone. "Not just a kiss," he said raggedly.

Lorelai bit her lip nervously as she looked up at him. "A franc for your thoughts," she whispered.

Luke chuckled softly as he shook his head. "Not worth a penny." Lorelai loosened her grip on his hair, letting her hands grow lax as they began to fall away from him. "Don't," he said gruffly.

"Don't what?"

"Not yet. Don't think yet."

"Okay," she answered, pressing her fingers to his neck and at last feeling the prickle of his stubble beneath them. She raised one hand to his cheek, letting the tip of her finger play over that tiny patch of hair near the corner of his mouth. "Who are you really, and what were you before? What did you do and what did you think?" she quoted in a whisper.

"I'm just me," Luke answered with a puzzled frown.

"It's from the movie," she said with a smile. "You're supposed to say, 'We said no questions.'"

"I have lots of questions," Luke told her, closing his eyes as he turned his head and pressed his lips to the pad of that teasing fingertip.

"Not yet. Don't think," she said in what she hoped was a softly mesmerizing voice as she pulled him down again and kissed him hungrily.

Luke crushed her mouth under his, pressing her deep into the couch cushions as he stretched out on top of her, Lorelai's hands slid down his back, pushing the tail of his shirt up as his tongue circled hers. It was hard to say if his hips mirrored his tongue, or vise versa, but he pressed into her harder as her hands closed over the swell of his ass. Her fingers pressed into the taut muscle, and she cursed the layers of denim between them as he began to press a line of hot, wet kisses along her jaw.

"This is probably wrong," she whispered.

"Probably," he agreed, his voice muffled against her skin.

"But it feels right."

"Very right," Luke answered as he sucked gently on her neck.

Lorelai drew in a sharp breath. "I don't want you to stop."

"I'm not sure I can, even if I wanted to," he admitted.

She moaned as his tongue traced slow circles over her throat. "God, please don't stop."

"I won't, but you're gonna have to get my name right," he growled as he moved to capture her lips again.

Lorelai rose up to meet him, pressing him down onto her as she undulated beneath him. Her lips parted with undisguised last as he pulled back and stared down at her, his hips circling against her as she panted beneath him. "This is big. Feels like much more than a hill of beans," she said breathlessly. Luke raised his head, quirking one eyebrow at her questioningly, and Lorelai dissolved into giggles. "I didn't mean that."

"Thank you," he said as he lowered his lips to her flushed skin again.

"You and me, this is big." Lorelai arched against him as she slid her hands up under his flannel and began to pull his t-shirt from the waistband of his jeans.

"Yeah."

"I have a bed upstairs," she whispered as he yanked the neckline of her sweater aside and pressed his open mouth to the curve of shoulder.

"Too far," he answered gruffly as he sat back and pulled both of his shirts over his head in one impatient move.

Lorelai smiled as she looked down and saw his fingers toying with the hem of her sweater. She arched her back, inviting him to lift it as she said, "It's right up there."

"You might change your mind," Luke growled as he pushed the sweater up without another moment of hesitation.

Lorelai sat up a bit, letting him strip it up over her head, and then smiled as she fell back against the cushions, her hands gliding over his bare chest. "Wow, the window has gotten much smaller," she observed.

"Window?" he asked as his heated gaze swept over her.

"You said earlier that you didn't like making plans more than two days in advance, now its two minutes?" she asked.

"I don't wanna set myself up for disappointment."

"Would you be disappointed?"

"What are you doing New Year's Eve?" he asked abruptly.

"I don't know, it's months away. Isn't that way outside of your range?"

"Not with you."

"I guess I could spend it with you, after all, what else have I got to do?" she teased.

"I love it when women say that to me," he answered with a smirk as he traced the lacy edge of her bra with his fingertips.

"Are we, uh, together?" she asked softly.

"I hope so," he said as his eyes flew to her face.

"Hope? You're losing your cynicism," she warned with a small smile.

"I'll try to get it back."

Lorelai looked down as he pressed his hand to her stomach and then let it slide slowly up to capture her breast. "You're just like any other man, but more so."

"Of all the coffee joints in all the towns, in all the world, you had to walk into mine," he said as he lowered his lips to hers once more.

"Very good," she complimented, her breath washing over his damp lips.

"I knew that line," he admitted with a sheepish smile.

"What's your gut telling you now?"

"I'd like to get a lot more comfortable with you," he answered honestly, squeezing her breast gently as he pressed down into her, trapping his hand between them.

"Let's go upstairs," she whispered as he kissed her softly.

"We're missing the movie."

"Are you paying attention?" she asked, incredulous.

"I have to be able to say I sat through it or I'll never live it down," he insisted as he slipped one hand under her and expertly opened her bra.

"I see," Lorelai said as he pushed back, dragging the straps down her arms as he sat up to look at her.

"I like the freckles," he murmured as he ran his fingers over her collarbone.

"You have one on your lip," she blurted.

"What?"

"Right here," she said as she touched her fingertip to the edge of his bottom lip. "I like looking at you," she admitted with a shy smile.

"Maybe they should meet," he said as he bent down and pressed his lips to the hollow of her throat.

"Yeah, they should," Lorelai agreed as she ran her hands up his arms and then squeezed his muscular shoulders as he moved steadily lower. "Your shoulders too," she murmured as she looked down at the smooth skin dusted with pale brown dots.

"Mowing lawns," he mumbled as he kissed his way down into the dip between her breasts.

"Summers by the pool," she answered.

"You smell good. Like summer."

"Honeysuckle," Lorelai gasped as his long fingers began to knead her soft breasts.

"What was that?" he asked with a wicked grin.

"Honeysuckle," she repeated, pressing up into his hands.

"Okay, sweetie," he answered as her captured the tip of one breast with his lips and sucked gently.

Lorelai's laugh was choked by a gasp as her hand flew to the back of his head, holding him to her. "Oh God, never call me that again," she said in a rush.

Luke chuckled as he nuzzled her breast. "Okay, I won't. But, I'm Luke," he added as he looked up at her boldly.

Lorelai held her breath as she watched him circle the tight bud of her nipple with the tip of his tongue. "Luke," she exhaled with a sigh of pleasure.

He teased her other nipple with his thumb, brushing over it teasingly, pinching and rolling it between his thumb and forefinger as he suckled deeply. Lorelai couldn't hold back the tiny whimpers that seeped from her lips. Her hands grew frantic, ruffling the curls at the nape of his neck, smoothing over his neck and shoulders, scraping over his back demandingly as he dared to release her. When she grunted in protest, his eyes flew to hers, pinning her against the arm of the couch with the heat of the blue flame that flickered in their depths.

"No green, no gold," she whispered to herself.

"What?"

"Touch me," she commanded, grasping his head and pulling him down to the aching tip of her other breast.

Those tiny hairs. It could have been those tiny hairs that tickled her skin. It might have been those passed over whiskers making her squirm beneath him. Then again, it could have been some of the thousands of other tiny hairs, mere millimeters shorter, she didn't care. Lorelai bucked against him, rubbing her denim clad sex against his chest shamelessly as he teased her into his mouth, laving her beaded flesh with his silken tongue. Luke's fingers slid into the waistband of her jeans, and she moaned her encouragement. She felt the button give way, but lost the trail of the zipper as he sucked harder, coaxing her deeper into his mouth.

She forced her hands between them, and Luke raised his head, pressing his forehead to hers as he looked down, each of them watching as their hands grappled with the wholly extraneous clothing that stood in their way.

"You do yours," she said at last, and he nodded slightly before pushing back. He knelt on the couch between her legs, wetting his dry lips with the tip of his tongue as he stared down at the breasts he had just teased to aching points. "Off," she whispered, gently reminding him of his task. Luke nodded once and clamped his mouth shut as he finished opening his belt. Once his jeans were opened, he pushed back off of the couch, standing on unsteady legs as he watched her wiggle her jeans and panties down over her hips.

"Let me," he said as he reached for the bunched material, covering her hands with his.

"Okay." Lorelai lay back on the couch, watching as he carefully kept his gaze averted while skimmed her jeans, panties and finally her socks from her feet. She saw him squinch his eyes shut for a moment and asked, "You don't wanna look at me?"

"I think I may want then more than I want to breathe," he said as he began to push his jeans and boxers down over his ass.

"But you're not," she pointed out.

"I'm not breathin' either," he grumbled as he toed off his shoes and pulled his legs free from the tangled denim.

As he stripped off his socks, Lorelai smiled and purred in a low sexy voice, "I'm lookin' at you."

"Isn't it 'Here's lookin' at you'?" he asked as he turned his head and forced himself to look directly into her eyes.

"Kid. You have to add the 'Kid' on there," she said softly as she reached out to pull him down to her. "Comere," she whispered as she tugged on his hand.

Luke licked his lips and then pressed them together, as if he had something he had to say, but couldn't quite get out. "What?" she asked as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Are you sure?" he asked, wincing as his voice cracked worse than it had since puberty.

Lorelai had to smile at his last ditch effort at being more Victor then Rick. "I'm sure," she assured him.

Luke knelt on the couch, running his hand over her long slim leg and drawing it up at the knee as he stretched out over her. His palm slid over the soft supple skin of her thigh as he kissed her ardently, pouring every ounce of his unspoken desire into her and demanding her response. His hands were everywhere, buried in her hair one moment, trailing down over her neck, her shoulder and her arm the next. His calloused palms claimed her breasts, and the hair on his legs tickled the arch of her foot as it rubbed the back of his calf. His breath was ragged; warm and moist, heating her flushed skin as his hard shaft brushed against the dense curls between her legs. The solid wall of muscle pressed against her breasts, molding the soft mounds to his hard planes as she tried to wriggle her hand between their bodies.

"Up a little," she whispered.

When he pushed up onto his elbows a fraction of an inch and peered down at her, Lorelai smiled as wrapped her fingers around the length of him. A low, strangled groan rumbled up from deep in his chest, and she smiled her pleasure at his arousal as she began to stroke him slowly but firmly. "Oh, Jesus," he groaned.

"Lorelai."

"Lorelai," he corrected as he dipped his head to kiss her. "Lorelai, Lorelai, Lorelai," he murmured, savoring every syllable and punctuating each whisper of her name with a tender kiss that ached with longing.

Lorelai hummed her approval as she pushed gently at his hip with her free hand, and then guided him to her, brushing the sensitive tip of his erection against her damp folds teasingly. Luke squeezed his eyes shut, and continued kissing her softly, his breath hitching with each tantalizing brush. He sighed and bit his lower lip as she held him still, poised at her entrance, and then tightened her fingers on his hip, pulling him toward her. As he began to sink into her, her hand flew to his mouth, her fingertips coaxing the soft skin of his lip from between his teeth as she shook her head slowly.

"Huh?"

"Poor little freckle," she whispered as she lifted her head, her fingertips stroking his rough beard as she kissed his bottom lip sweetly.

"Sorry."

"Shh." Lorelai cupped his cheek and kissed him passionately, flattening her other hand on his back and urging him deeper still.

Luke ran his hand down the outside of her thigh, urging the leg trapped between him and the back of the couch up onto his hip. Lorelai moaned against his lips and ran both of her hands up his back, reveling in the play of his muscles bunching beneath his smooth skin with each stroke. His lips clung to hers as their lips parted, sharing gasped breaths between them as he moved faster. Lorelai pushed against him, mindless of the soft mewing sounds that escaped her as he pushed her higher. Each powerful thrust drove her up even as they drove her head into the arm of the couch. Luke tried to slow, covering the top of her head with his hand protectively, but Lorelai would have none of it. She squeezed his ass, her nails digging into the tender flesh as she moved against him wantonly.

"Lorelai," he rasped.

"Oh yes," she murmured. She drew in short, unsatisfying breaths as she stared up at him, her eyes locked on his.

"Lorelai," he warned.

"Don't stop, don't stop," she whispered desperately.

"No, no," he chanted; part reassurance, and part plea as he felt his control unraveling.

"Yes, yes," she said breathlessly as she felt the warm rush of him filling her.

His deep grunts of release tangled and caught in his throat as she held him tight, urging him to keep going with her hands. Words without sound tumbled from his lips as he continued to thrust into her, feeling her muscles coiling tightly and her walls closing around him. She cried out softly as her climax swamped her, flooding her muscles with warm relief, making her grow lax and liquid beneath him.

Luke pressed his face into her neck, his panting breaths hot on her already overheated skin. He raised his head, shaking it in dazed wonder as he wet his lips and peered down at her, as if checking to be sure it was all real.

"Hi," she said with a weak smile, picking out the flecks of green and gold that lit his eyes once more.

"Hey," he breathed, and then swallowed hard.

They remained there, their bodies locked together, their limbs entangled, their breaths slowing and mingling, neither daring to be the first to look away. Slowly, they became aware of the buzz of voices on the television, the hum of her old refrigerator chugging away in the kitchen, the soft rasp of her nails as they skimmed over his taut back.

Luke blinked, turning toward the television as the drone of propellers filled the room. Lorelai turned to look, watching as the plane carrying Victor and Ilsa taxied toward freedom while Rick watched it go. Luke turned back to her, blinking away his confusion as he asked in a rough voice laced with disbelief, "He let her go?"

Lorelai bit her lip and looked up at him solemnly as she nodded.

"He's an idiot. He just let her go?" he asked, incredulous.

"I don't know that it was as simple as that," Lorelai said diplomatically.

Luke shook his head adamantly. "Yes, yes it is," he insisted.

"It was for the greater good," she argued.

"Bullshit."

"Luke!" she gasped with a startled laugh.

"Well, come on," he said impatiently. "He loves her, she loves him. He just wants to be miserable," he complained.

"She's married to Victor. She loves him too. He loves her too."

"This is a stupid movie," he grumbled.

Lorelai laughed. "Only you would think _Casablanca_ is a stupid movie."

"What kind of ending is that? What now? He just stays there, running his bar and hoping she'll just come back someday?"

"I think he's going off to fight with the Free French," she said with a shrug.

"He's American," Luke said impatiently.

"Are you this black and white about everything?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Luke opened his mouth to retort, and then glanced down at the bodies pressed tightly together, still hopelessly entwined. "Sorry," he mumbled with a slow smile. "Sorry," he repeated as he leaned down to kiss her gently.

As _La_ _Marseilles_ played through the television speakers, Lorelai ran her hand through his hair, smoothing it over his ear before tangling her fingers in the curls at his neck. "What now?" she asked softly.

"I'm not joining the Free French," he told her.

"Good."

Luke hesitated for a moment, and then with s shrug that told her that he had nothing to lose, he said, "I want this. Me and you. Do you?"

Lorelai smiled as she nodded slightly. "I guess only one answer can take care of all our questions," she murmured, brushing her thumb over those tiny whiskers that just had to be a tad longer than the others as she pulled him down for another kiss.

"What?"

"Another quote."

"I should have known," he grumbled against her lips.

"Yeah, you shoulda," Lorelai sassed him between kisses. "But I have to say, you do seem to have the fundamentals down."

"Thanks," he said dryly.

"Thank _you_."

Luke glanced down at their naked bodies, then over at the cluttered coffee table, and then finally at the now blank television screen. "I suppose we should…" he trailed off.

"Have dessert?" she finished hopefully.

"Exactly," he said with a smirk.

Lorelai smiled, her eyes dancing as she framed his face with both hands, holding him there. "Lukey, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," she said with a saucy wink.


	41. Love and Irish Troubadours

**A/N: I took a thousand liberties with this episode, but you won't find a single yellow daisy in it. There is probably a ton of typos, though. Sorry. This one puts the fiction in fan fiction, but I had a good time dreaming and scheming this admittedly far-fetched stuff. I hope that you have a good time reading it. Oh, and let me know if I should be charging iTunes a commission after this. I know they already got my $0.99, and I don't even like U2 very much… **

**Love and Irish Troubadours**

"You're annoyingly on time again!" Lorelai called toward the front door as she tried to make it down the steps with her shoes in hand. "Ugh. Okay, stairs then shoes, stairs then shoes," she reminded herself as she made her way safely to the bottom. She quickly slipped her shoes on and hurried to the front door, but when she opened it, it was Luke standing on the other side. "Oh, hi," she said breathlessly.

"Hey. You're all dressed up," he said as he gestured to her black dress.

"Oh, I'm going out."

"Oh sorry. I forgot my toolbox so I just thought I'd come pick it up."

"Oh yeah. It's right over here," she said as she waved a hand at the large toolbox. "Rory and I couldn't lift it or we would've brought it to you and then we got used to having it here, so we named it Bert and we'd say 'Goodnight Bert' and it'd say 'Goodnight girls', and we spend too much time home alone," she said with a laugh.

Luke chuckled, too accustomed to her madness to be startled by it. "Well, thanks for taking care of it."

"Our pleasure."

He hefted the toolbox and then turned to look at her; Rachel's parting words playing on a continuous loop in his head. "So, uh, dollar draft night at KC's. I'm guessing by the way you're dressed, that's not where you're heading."

"Um, no," Lorelai answered, ducking her head shyly.

Luke nodded slowly and then took a deep breath, letting in out in a rush as he took the plunge and said, "So, Rachel left."

"What?"

"Last night. She left. For good," he added, as if he was not sure if he was being clear enough.

"Oh no, Luke I'm so sorry. What happened?"

"Ah, it's hard to explain."

"I can't believe it. I thought she was really in it for the long haul this time," Lorelai said sadly.

"Yeah well, she had her reasons."

Lorelai cocked her head and peered at him curiously. "Really? What?"Luke opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a soft knock and a man calling, "Hello? I'd tried to be late."

Flashing Luke an apologetic smile, Lorelai peeked around the edge of the door and said, "Oh, and an utter failure at one minute past."

When Max stepped inside, Lorelai suddenly became even more fidgety than usual. "Um, so uh, Max Medina this is Luke Danes. Luke owns the diner. He has the greatest coffee."

"Oh right. I saw you at the town meeting," Max said with a nod.

"Yeah I saw you too," Luke mumbled.

"Nice to meet you," Max said, barely disguising the fact that he was sizing Luke up.

"Uh huh," Luke managed to grunt.

"Mm hmm. So, we should be going," Max said, turning back to Lorelai.

"Oh yeah," Lorelai stammered, her discomfort evident.

"Yeah, I 'm gonna get going," Luke said, putting her out of her misery. "I just left my toolbox from when I was here earlier fixing things. I do a lot of little things around here for Lorelai," he told Max.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, you're very handy. So Luke, we'll talk later."

"Yes we will," he answered.

"Although probably not tonight. We won't be back until late," Max added with smile that was more of a smirk.

Lorelai turned to look at Max, a little shocked by his tone. "No, I meant not tonight."

"Oh, I misunderstood," Max answered quickly.

"I meant tomorrow. So tomorrow," she said to Luke with a nervous smile.

Luke nodded. "Absolutely. We see each other most everyday."

"Well sure, you've got the coffee," Max said in a semi-joking tone.

"And she needs the coffee. So I'll see you tomorrow," he said to Lorelai in a slightly more intimate voice.

"Tomorrow," she confirmed.

"Same time as always." Luke smiled at Max, unable to resist baiting the man a little more.

"I'd count on a little later," Max piped up, immediately swallowing the bait hook, line and sinker.

Luke had to stifle his smile as he gripped his toolbox tightly and said, "Doesn't matter what time it is. I'll always be around."

"Bye," Lorelai called as she saw Luke out of the door.

When she turned around, Max smiled and asked, "So are we going?"

Lorelai's eyebrows shot up at the swift change in his demeanor. "Uh, yeah. Just wanted to make sure you two were through swinging those things around. Someone's bound to lose an eye," she joked.

"What are you talking about?" Max asked disingenuously.

"Nothing. I'll get my purse," Lorelai murmured as she headed for the living room.

Max glanced around at the comfortable disorder of the room, and then watched as she gathered her bag. "So not to be blunt, but is that over?"

"Is what over?"

"Whatever's going on that I just walked in on."

"Oh Max, come on, that's Luke," she said with a laugh.

"I kind of picked something up there."

"Okay. Well, drop it back on the ground and kick it under the couch, because there is no 'there' there," she said firmly.

"Hey, it's okay. I mean, we were apart for quite a while. I never assumed you joined a convent," he said with a shrug and a slight edge to his voice.

"Max," Lorelai said pleadingly, trying to cut him off before he went too far.

"I mean, it's not like I didn't date while we were apart."

"You dated?"

"A little."

"A little person?" she asked snidely.

Max shrugged again. "No, I dated a little."

Lorelai looked down at her purse and mumbled, "Okay. Well, I didn't expect you to join a man-vent or whatever the male equivalent of that is called. Who did you date?" she demanded in the next breath.

"A monastery."

"You dated a monastery?"

"No, a monastery is the male equivalent of a convent."

"Thank you Mr. Medina. I'll make a note for the quiz on Friday," she muttered.

"I didn't know if I'd ever see you again," he said cajolingly.

"No, I get it. Yes. We were apart," she stammered. "And, uh, you know, I didn't exactly remain inactive."

"So, you did date Luke?" Max asked, a note of triumph in his voice.

"No, I did not date Luke."

"You can tell me."

"I did not date Luke!"

"There was a vibe," he insisted.

"There was no vibe. What is with the questioning? You won't tell me who you dated."

"There's no one you know."

"Okay, well, did you date like casual nothing type dating or did you date like 'get down Soul Train' kind of a dating?"

"Well, I wouldn't have phrased it that way, but to be honest, it was the latter."

"Good, good. Okay. Well, I like your honesty. Because I mean you could've lied and left that part out to spare my feelings which would've been unnecessary. So thank you, that was good," Lorelai babbled, her head bobbing in time with her words. Finally, she gave it a little shake and blurted, "I slept with Rory's dad."

"Let's change the subject," Max quickly suggested.

"On my parents' balcony."

"I want to change the subject."

"Okay, well you started it," Lorelai scoffed.

"I did not mean for this to become a who slept with whom contest."

"Well, how did it get that way?" she cried.

"I don't know. Why do we do this? Why do we let it get weird between us just when it's getting good again?" he asked, his frustration bubbling over.

"I don't know."

"I don't like it."

"I don't either."

Max shook his head and said, "And I'm sick of it.'

"Well, so am I," she replied indignantly.

"We can't keep getting this close just to have something completely derail us again. And frankly there's only one thing I can think of that could solve it," he said adamantly.

"Break up!" Lorelai concluded, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Ugh."

"Well, I'm not interested in a murder-suicide kind of thing," she said sarcastically.

"We should get married," he said quickly.

Lorelai gaped at him for a moment, trying to determine if he had actually spoken the words aloud, or if she just imagined them. "Give me a clue as to whether you're kidding or not," she said slowly.

Max put his hands on his hips, standing his ground. "I am not kidding."

Lorelai shook her head in disbelief as she murmured, "Good clue."

"What do you say?"

"Nothing. Max, you did not just propose to me," she said firmly.

"Yes, I did."

"No. A proposal had to be something more than the desperate desire to end a bickering match!" she cried.

"It was more than that," he answered defensively.

"No, it has to be planned. It should be magical. There should be music playing and romantic lighting and a subtle buildup to the popping of the big question. There should be a thousand yellow daisies and candles and a horse and I don't know what the horse is doing there unless you're riding it, which seems a little over the top, but it should be more than this," she said as she flung her arms out, encompassing her messy living room.

"You're right."

"I am right," she whispered.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"Let's start the evening over," he suggested.

"Ding dong," Lorelai said in a disheartened voice.

Max smiled as he made a show of looking at his watch. "Oh, now I'm five minutes late."

"Well, you're making good progress," she answered with a troubled frown.

"Let's go?"

Lorelai moved to follow Max to the front door, but stopped when she saw the toolbox still resting on the hall table. "I think maybe not," she said slowly.

"What?"

Lorelai shook her head slowly and said, "I think maybe my answer was the right answer."

Max mirrored her movements, shaking his head as he asked, "What answer?"

"Break up."

"No."

"Well, it's not 'We should get married!'" she retorted.

"Okay, maybe not, but the answer isn't 'break up,' either," he argued.

"I don't know," she murmured. Lorelai fidgeted with the strap on her purse as she gnawed her lower lip for a moment. "Maybe it is. Maybe there's a reason why we do this Max. Maybe it's not just us being scared or stupid or whatever. Maybe it's us just not being right for each other."

"I don't believe that," he said firmly.

Lorelai grimaced as she looked up and met his eyes. "The problem is, I think that maybe I do."

Max stepped forward, wrapping his fingers around her wrist as he implored her, "No, no, don't think that. Come to dinner, we'll talk, we'll laugh… There has to be some other reason."

"I don't think so," she whispered.

"Well, don't just… Don't just decide right now, okay? Think about it. Let's talk about it," he cajoled.

"I'll, uh, I'll call you," Lorelai said as she took a step back.

Max released her wrist and watched as her hand fell to her side. "Will you really?" he asked skeptically.

Lorelai offered him a weak smile. "Probably not. But if I do think of another reason, I will."

"I'm not going to give up," he warned her.

"I like that about you," she replied softly.

Max nodded and stepped away from her. "I will be calling you," he said as he reached for the door handle. "I really think my answer was the correct one."

"Bye, Max," Lorelai answered.

"Bye, Lorelai," he said quietly, and then turned to leave.

After the front door closed behind Max, Lorelai stayed rooted to the spot, her eyes glazing over as she stared hard at a small dent in Bert's exterior. She had no idea how long she stood there. She could make no sense out of the jumbled thoughts tumbling around in her head. She just stood there, her eyes fixed on the scarred old toolbox as she tried to pick up on this mysterious vibe, wondering if her answer was right, or if maybe, just maybe, she should have listened to Max.

Ignoring the myriad of other questions in her head, her stomach rumbled, capturing her attention and giving her a task to focus on. Lorelai blew out a sigh as set her purse on top of the toolbox and walked slowly to the refrigerator. When she tugged on the door handle, she was greeted by the unattractive remains of a half used stick of butter clumsily re-wrapped in its wax paper, approximately one and half inches of Ranch dressing pooled in the bottom of a bottle that probably should have been purged long ago, and a single curled up slice of pizza wrapped in Saran wrap. With a flick of her wrist, she let the door swing shut and headed back toward the foyer.

Without another thought, she snatched her handbag from Bert's clutches, pulled her keys free from the assortment of lip glosses in the bottom of the bag, and headed out in search of sustenance. Minutes later, Lorelai let off of the accelerator, slowing as she approached the town square. A puzzled frown creased her brow as she noted the conspicuous absence of people strolling around the square. The furrows grew deeper as she pulled to a stop in front of Luke's, her jaw dropping as she stared at the darkened windows in disbelief. She parked the car and bailed out, trotting toward the diner door in her high heels. She tried the handle, but found it locked. With a tiny grunt of dissatisfaction, she hurried down the steps and walked back to the edge of the sidewalk, peering up into the dimly lit windows of the apartment above the diner, hoping for a sign of life.

Heaving a disappointed sigh, she turned toward the market, shaking her head in frustration as she noted that it appeared to be closed too. Crossing her arms over her chest, Lorelai turned on her heel and once again surveyed the square. "What the hell?" she muttered as she noted that not only Al's but Jo Jo's was closed too. "Are we all on a hunger strike?" she grumbled. Her gaze swept over darkened shop windows, and at last came to rest on the brightly lit neon 'Lite' light in the window of KC's pub.

"Bar food," she whispered like the answer to a prayer.

As she quickly crossed the street, her eyes fixed resolutely on the glowing beacon in the window, Lorelai wondered how she could possibly be the only one in town who didn't know that the entire town shut down for dollar draft night. She pushed through the doors and stumbled to a halt, blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit bar. The place was empty. Well, almost empty. Kevin Casey himself looked up from his spot behind the bar, and old Patrick Shanahan was perched on the very last stool at the far end of the bar, hunched over three fingers of pale gold lager. And there, in the middle of the bar, sat Luke Danes; his fingers wrapped around a sweaty glass of beer and his eyes locked on the ballgame playing out without benefit of commentary above the bar.

Lorelai hurried to the bar and claimed the stool next to Luke, causing him to jump as she reached for the wooden bowl of pretzels that sat neglected and unappreciated in front of him. "God, I'm famished," she muttered as she shoved a pretzel into her mouth and began to chew before her butt even hit the bar stool.

Luke reared back and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find food. This place is like a ghost town! Where is everyone?"

"Lebanon. It's demolition derby night," Luke answered. "Weren't you going to dinner?"

"Demolition derby? Like Pinkie Tuscadero, smashing cars into each other on purpose, demolition derby?" she asked and then shoved another pretzel into her mouth before waving to Kevin and pointing to Luke's glass as she chewed enthusiastically.

"Yeah, demolition derby," Luke confirmed, staring at her in confusion. "Why aren't you out with Whathisname?"

"Well, that was kind of like a demolition derby. We tend to run straight into each other and smash pieces off," Lorelai muttered, looking up as Kevin placed a tall cold beer on a cardboard coaster in front of her. "Bless you. Got any food stashed back there?"

"Just pretzels," Kevin answered.

"Damn."

"Pat usually has a couple of hard boiled eggs in his pocket," he said helpfully as he nodded to the old man at the end of the bar with a smirk.

"Ew, and I love pretzels. Keep 'em coming," she said as plunged her hand into the bowl. "How's the baby?"

"She's, uh, small, loud and stinks," Kevin answered.

"So, you like her, huh?" Lorelai teased.

"She's a keeper," Kevin agreed as he flipped the bar towel up over his shoulder and turned back to the ballgame.

"So? The Demolition derby is a big draw?" she asked Luke.

"Almost as big as monster trucks," he said dryly. "We're a destructive brand of crazy around here," he added as he toasted her with his beer.

"How did I not know this?"

"I don't know. Don't you like to watch people plow into each other like everyone else in this town?"

"I do at Doose's on double coupon day," she answered with a shrug. "Oh crap," she muttered.

Luke stared as Lorelai began to rummage through her purse frantically. "What are you doing?"

"Seeing how much money I have. I wasn't planning on going out tonight. Well, I was, but I wasn't planning on paying," she mumbled. "Aha!" she cried as she held up a five dollar bill and then slapped it down onto the bar. "Dollar drafts, right? I get five beers," she said with an emphatic nod.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a low voice.

Lorelai smiled at him brightly and said, "I'm perfect. I have pretzels, I have beer."

Luke nodded slowly and then pressed his lips together as he reached for his glass. He downed the contents of beer number three and then turned to Lorelai as he said, "Come on, I'll go make you something to eat."

"No, Luke, you're off duty, you're out on the town, you're living it up here at this swinging joint," she said as she toasted him with her beer. "Come on, I'll even give you one of my five beers."

Luke smirked and said, "I'm two ahead of you, and you'd better keep this," as he picked up her five and handed it back to her. "You need to at least eat a sandwich."

"Well, unless you carry them in your pockets like Pat's eggs, it probably isn't going to happen."

"I can run over to the diner and make you one," he offered.

"Luke, do you honestly think this is the first time in my life I've had bar pretzels for dinner?"

He frowned, his forehead furrowing as he looked up from under his lashes and said hopefully, "Yes?"

Lorelai laughed. "Okay, it is, but I have had pretzels for dinner before," she told him. "Hey, Kev? You have any mustard or ranch or something stashed back there?"

Kevin turned around and said, "I have some ranch in the fridge for when Nat forces me to eat a salad for dinner."

"Hit me. And another round for my friend, here," she called after him as he walked the length of the bar.

"Luke knows where it is," he answered.

"Huh?"

Luke smirked and picked up his empty glass. Leaning across the bar, he positioned it under the tap handle and muttered, "Should be fifty cents if I have to fill my own."

"Wow, you're like a pro," Lorelai said admiringly.

"I filled in for a couple of nights when Natalie had Katie," he explained as he lowered himself to his stool clutching his full glass of beer.

"That was nice of you."

"Kev's helped me out a couple of times too," he said with a dismissive shrug.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep," he confirmed. Luke took a sip of his beer, clearly not intending to expound on the subject.

"You're not going to tell me?" she asked in an injured tone.

"Nope."

"Your baseball cap caught fire and melted to your head? You fell into the deep fryer face first? The softball team took a bat to your kneecaps because you dared to close early on a Thursday night?"

"Nope." Luke looked up as Pat Shanahan slid from his stool and began to shuffle toward the door. "Night," he said gruffly, acknowledging the old man's wave.

Lorelai waved too. She glanced over at Luke and then stared up at the muted baseball game disparagingly. "Do you have a dollar?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Jukebox?" she said hopefully, batting her eyelashes as she held out her hand.

"Really?" Luke grimaced as he dug his wallet from his back pocket. "Okay, but none of the eighties crap with the fake drums," he warned as he pulled a crisp single from the bill compartment.

Lorelai weaved her way through the tables to the jukebox and fed the bill into the slot. She drummed her fingernails on the glass of the ancient jukebox, eying the outdated and largely nauseating selections with a troubled frown. One song caught her attention and with a smug smile, she punched in the number for her first selection. The jukebox sprang to life with a laugh as 'Hungry Like the Wolf' began to blare through the bar's sound system.

"Ah, geez." Luke groaned as he pressed his hand to his ear and scowled at her fiercely.

"They had a real live drummer," she shouted over the music. "Roger Taylor. No relation to Roger Taylor from Queen, or the other Taylors in Duran Duran for that matter."

Kevin stepped out from the back room holding a bottle of salad dressing and his cell phone. He turned the volume on the sound system down to a more tolerable level and smirked at Lorelai as he said, "Thank you, Nina Blackwood."

"Oh, I so wanted to be a VJ," Lorelai said as she began punching in the remainder of her selections.

Kevin pulled another wooden salad bowl from the shelf below and dumped some dressing into it. "Did Pat leave?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, listen," Kevin began as he refilled the pretzel bowl. "Katie's teething and Nat's worn out. We haven't slept in two days, and if it's gonna be this dead, I may as well close up," he said apologetically.

"No problem," Luke said as he started to get up.

"No, I was just gonna say that you guys can stay if you want. Lorelai just loaded up the jukebox," he said with a shrug.

"You want me to lock up?"

Kevin nodded as he pulled his keys from his pocket and removed the one for the front door. "If that's cool."

Luke nodded. "We can do that." He fished out his wallet again and pulled out a twenty. "Here."

"Nah, that's okay, just don't drain the keg," Kevin said as he waved him off.

"Are we having a kegger?" Lorelai asked brightly as she slid back onto her stool.

"I have the key to the kingdom," Luke said as he placed the key on the bar.

"Wow, and I'm your best friend," she said wide-eyed. She turned to Kevin and asked, "Are you leaving?"

"Baby's teething," he explained.

"Aw, poor thing. Poor Mommy too."

"And Daddy," Kevin added as he lifted the drop counter and stepped out from behind the bar. "Lock the door behind me?" he asked.

"I'll get it," Lorelai told Luke as she hopped down from her stool once more. "Oh, wait! Do you have any brandy at home?" she asked Kevin.

"God, no, I see enough of that stuff here."

Lorelai smiled and said, "Take the bottle from the bar, rub a little on Katie's gums. It works better than that gel stuff any day."

"Are you sure?"

Lorelai nodded and then scurried back behind the bar, scanning the bottles for some brandy. "Trust me. Plus, if it doesn't work for Katie, it should work for you guys," she said as she held up the bottle with a victorious smile.

"Thanks, it's worth a shot," Kevin said as he took the bottle and headed out into the quiet Stars Hollow night.

Lorelai locked the door and then grinned at Luke as she crossed the room. "You know, I used to dream about getting locked into the mall, but I think this might be better."

"Ya think?" Luke asked, cringing each time the woman on the jukebox moaned loudly.

"Sorry, limited selection," Lorelai said as she sat down next to him once more. "Luckily, Kevin is a U2 fan, so there was some hope. I was afraid I would have to resort to playing 'Happy Birthday' and 'The Anniversary Waltz' over and over again."

"How many songs do you get?" Luke asked as U2 started in on 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'.

"Six. This is a much better deal than the one Al put in. He only gives you three songs for a dollar."

Lorelai looked over and found Luke nodding his head slightly along with the song as he lifted his beer and took a long swallow. "Do you want to tell me what happened with Rachel?" she asked quietly.

Luke set his glass down on the bar a little too forcefully and shook his head. "Not unless you want to tell me what happened to your dinner date."

"He asked me to marry him," she answered simply.

"What?"

Lorelai nodded as he stared at her dumbstruck. "We got into a stupid fight and things got a _little bit_ ugly, and then he asked me to marry him."

Luke clamped his mouth shut and then swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat. "He asked you to marry him? You guys haven't been dating more that a couple of months," he managed to say.

"We've been dating as long and you and Rachel were," she answered defensively.

"I didn't ask her to marry me!" he shot back. "Besides, I've known Rachel a lot longer, we had a history."

"Yeah, a bad one," she muttered as she picked up her glass and finished off her beer.

"Not all bad," he snapped.

"You're the one who said she had a history of skipping out," Lorelai reminded him as she stood on the bar rail and tried to reach the tap handle.

"Give me that," he snarled as he snatched the glass from her hand. Lorelai sat back down and watched him curiously as he refilled her glass. Luke set the full beer on her coaster and asked, "What'd you say?"

"What'd I say? I said no," she scoffed.

"Well, how am I supposed to know," he grumbled as he sat back down. Luke took a long drink, almost draining his glass before lowering it, letting it hover an inch above the bar. "You said no," he said slowly.

Lorelai sighed as she folded her arms on the bar and lowered her head to them. "I don't know," she moaned. "Max and I, we have this thing. It's not even, I don't even know how to explain it," she said, her voice muffled.

Luke leaned a little closer, straining to hear her over the opening bars of the Aerosmith song he remembered from that movie with the asteroid. He held his breath as he waited to see if she would go on, and then slowly let it seep from his lungs as she started to talk.

"I just, I don't want to get that close to him. I don't know why," she said plaintively. "There's just something there that stops me. There's always something there." She sat back, shaking her head as she looked up at the pressed tin ceiling as if the answer would be embossed in the design. "My first impulse is always to push him away. We got in a stupid fight and when he said there was only one thing we could do to stop it, I said 'break up' and he said, 'We should get married.'"

"Wow."

"Yeah," she said with a chuckle. Lorelai took a deep drink of her beer and then picked up her purse. "You think Kevin will take my five in exchange for a couple of shots?"

"Keep your five, I'll settle up with Kev. But I don't think you need to be doing shots, though," he said worriedly. "Here, eat some pretzels, or better yet, wait here and I'll go make a sandwich for you."

Lorelai smiled wanly as she reached over and patted his arm. "You're too good to me. Thanks, but I think I've lost my appetite," she added as she slid from the stool once more and ducked behind the bar. "Tequila or Jager?" she asked as she held up a bottle of each.

"Not the Jagermeister," he said gruffly.

Lorelai nodded and lined up four shot glasses on the bar. She poured an equal amount of Cuervo Gold into each glass and then looked around for a salt shaker and some lime. After locating the salt, she flipped open the garnish tray and began to pile lime slices onto a napkin.

"I like lemon," Luke told her.

She looked up, her hand hovering over the limes and then moving to the lemons as she shook her head and muttered, "Freak."

Luke chuckled as she added a few slices to the pile and slid the napkin down to where he sat. He watched as she licked the webbing between her thumb and forefinger and then liberally salted her skin. Their eyes met for a moment as she handed over the shaker.

Lorelai waited until he was ready, and then handed him a shot glass. "On three?" she asked.

Luke nodded and quietly counted off, "One, two… three." They licked, shot and then sucked greedily on the wedges clamped between their teeth, their eyes meeting as the tequila burned down their throats.

"Whew!" Lorelai said as she pulled the lime rind from her lips.

"Uh huh," Luke agreed as he dropped the remains of the lemon wedge onto the bar and leaned forward, resting his forehead in his hands. "Been a while since I've done that."

Lorelai leaned over, her dress pulling down a little further in front as she pressed her forearms into the worn wood of the bar and lightly grasped his elbows. "Why did she leave? Why would she do that?" she asked gently.

Luke's head jerked up, and he began to shake his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does. It does matter," she insisted. "Why would she do that to you? Especially after all that stuff she was saying about you and how she knew you were the one," Lorelai went on, rambling as the tequila warmed her blood. "She's not a fool; she knows what a great guy you are. How could she just walk away from that? From you?"

Luke looked down, watching as her slender fingers curled into the flannel at his elbows. He ran his tongue over his teeth, knowing that the tuna salad sandwich he had wolfed down earlier would be no match for three beers and a shot of tequila. The opening riff of Def Leopard's 'Photograph' burst from the speakers, jolting them both out of the deafening silence that hung between them. Lorelai drew back, pressing her palms onto the top of the bar as she waited patiently for him to say something. Luke licked his lips and reached for the salt shaker.

"She left that picture. The one of you and me. From the Firelight Festival," he reminded her gruffly.

Lorelai smiled. "That was a good picture. My eyes looked really, proportionate, was it?" she teased.

"Symmetrical," Luke answered as he fixed her with a stern look.

"That was it."

Luke licked his hand and began to apply salt to it. "Listen, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but even I know that when your girlfriend asks you what you think about some other girl's eyes, you don't say what you really think," he mumbled. He picked up a wedge of lemon and looked up at her, careful not to look into her eyes or to let his gaze linger for too long on the plunging neckline of her dress. "You in, or are those just there for decoration?" he asked as he reached for one of the remaining two shot glasses.

Lorelai cocked her head and asked, "What did you really think?"

"I think your eyes _are_ amazing," Luke answered quietly, looking straight into those vivid blue eyes and then tossing back the shot with a flick of his wrist.

She watched as he grimaced and lowered the glass, sucking hard on the wedge of lemon he'd jammed between his lips. "Max and I fought about you," she said softly, her voice nearly smothered by the wailing guitars.

"I'm sorry?" he managed to croak as he dropped the rind on top of the previous victim.

Lorelai pushed away from the bar and slowly began to circle back to the other side. "He said there was a vibe, something going on between you and me. Do you think there is?" she asked.

"I think I'd know if there was something going on," he grumbled as he leaned forward and began to refill his beer.

She sat down on her stool once again and turned toward him, watching as he set the glass back down on the coaster but shifted to stand on the other side of his stool. "Do you think there's a vibe?" she asked cautiously.

"I hate that word. What kind of word it that?" Luke muttered as he sought refuge in his beer.

Lorelai chewed the inside of her cheek as she studied his profile for a moment. "It bothered me that she was here," she said at last, her words filling the void left by the end of the song.

Luke turned to look at her, and raised his eyebrows. "It did? I thought you were all for it."

"I'm all for you being happy."

"And you thought that made me happy?"

"Didn't it?" she asked as the first notes of U2's 'All I want Is You' echoed through the empty barroom.

"Not really," he answered honestly.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you?"

"Of course I am."

"The last time she left, I practically lived here," he told her gruffly. "Kevin used to haul me across the street and pour me into bed," he confessed.

"Oh, Luke," she sighed.

He shook his head quickly and said, "It doesn't feel like that this time."

"No?"

Luke shook his head again and ducked his head. "So, you and this Max guy…" he said as he trailed one finger through the condensation on his glass.

"Broke up," she answered simply.

"Because he asked you to marry him."

"Not really," she said with a shrug. "I mean, if that was the criteria, I wouldn't be talking to you, either."

"What?"

"You asked me once too."

"That was a joke."

"Yeah. I know, a joke," she said softly as she turned back to the bar.

Luke's eyes were drawn to the tiny wisps of dark hair at the nape of her neck as the music wrapped around them, the tequila humming through his veins and Rachel's parting advice echoing through his head.

Without stopping to think the better of it, he reached for the last shot glass and downed its contents without the aid of salt or citrus. When Lorelai looked up at him in shock, he slammed the glass to the bar and sucked in a breath. The Edge wailed on his guitar, leading him to the crescendo and giving him shove over the edge into the unknown.

"Rachel left because of you. Because she knows that I, I have feelings for you," he confessed in a rough voice.

Lorelai's lips parted, but at first no sound emerged. "You do?" she managed to ask. A symphony of synthesized strings picked up where the guitar left off, softening and blurring the ragged edges of the song and her breathing.

He nodded once, holding himself back as he waited for her to bolt for the door. When she didn't, when her she looked up at him; unmoving, her bright blue eyes steady on his, he couldn't have stopped himself if he wanted to. Luke cupped the nape of her neck, the soft tendrils of her hair spilling over the back of his hand as he tipped her face up and bent down, lowering his lips to hers.

He tasted her tentatively at first, giving her the opportunity to object, leaving her the space between them as a buffer. Salt and lime, tangy and sweet; he wet his lips as he pulled away, the dark veil of his lashes lifting slowly, his eyes asking the question he dared not voice.

She looked up at him as the song trailed away, notes drifting off on the thick, moist air that enveloped them. "So, there _is_ a vibe," she whispered.

"Is there?"

"Yes," she answered, rising from her stool as a single snare drum truck up the beat of 'With or Without You' and picked up the rhythm of her pounding heart. "You gave yourself away," she chided gently.

"I might be drunk," he confessed with a breathy chuckle.

"I'm not," Lorelai said as she lunged for him, knocking over her beer and scattering shot glasses across the bar. She knocked his hat to the floor as she grasped his head and pulled him down, kicking the stool between them aside in her haste. She pressed her lips to his, and sighed against them as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, hauling her up against him. "Mmm, lemon," she whispered as she angled her head, needing more of him.

"Lime," he murmured as her lips parted against his.

His tongue brushed gently over her lower lip, and she moaned an invitation as she wove her fingers into his hair. The moment his tongue touched hers he shifted, pressing her back against the bar. He pinned her there as he pressing into her, his hand roving over her back and finally claiming that spot at the nape of her neck. His fingertips played over the fine wisps of hair that so fascinated him moments before, his palm pressing hot against her skin as their tongues dueled, hungry for more.

Desperate for air, Lorelai tore her mouth from his, gasping as his lips moved over her cheek to her jaw to her ear. "Can it work?" she wondered aloud.

"Workin' for me," he murmured; his voice deep and throaty, his breath warm against her ear.

"You're lemon, I'm lime," she whispered as he pressed hot, wet kisses to the creamy skin of her neck. Luke ran his tongue over the pulse beating just beneath her jaw, and groaned when he felt it jump. "You're healthy, I'm not. I talk incessantly, you speak in monosyllables," she rambled nonsensically. "You hate everything about me."

Luke raised his head and stared straight into her eyes, his chest heaving against hers. "You're wrong. All I want is you."

"Oh God, you can't use Bono against me," she whispered.

Luke lift his hand to the cascade of thick dark hair trapped in a clip and gently removed it. He tossed it into the mess on the bar, and then used both hands to comb through her hair, pulling it down around her shoulders as she tipped her head back. "I remember something about wild horses," he said as he smoothed the ends over her collarbone.

"Not the best choice."

"Better than the Bloody Sunday song," he said with a shrug.

"Shh," Lorelai said with a smile as she pulled him back to her. "I choose with you."

He kissed her tenderly, letting his lips glide against hers before taking it deeper. Lorelai hummed as his tongue touched hers again, igniting a fire in her belly that rivaled Sookie's cherries jubilee as his fingers smoothed her hair over her skin.

"You're making me crazy," she rasped as he kissed his way down her neck, his fingertips grazing the neckline of her dress and skimming along the very edge of that deep vee.

"You make me crazy every day," he mumbled as he sucked gently at the hollow of her collarbone.

"This is a different crazy," she insisted, bowing back against the bar as his teeth grazed her skin.

"Good." Luke slid his hands to her narrow waist, holding her steady, his fingers curling into her hips as his tongue traced the edge of her dress.

Lorelai ran her hands over his shoulders and back as his lips danced over the gentle swell of her breast. She sucked in a breath, holding onto it as his mouth traveled lower, finally coming the rest at the center of the vee. That precious breath escaped in a whoosh as his tongue slipped beneath the fabric and he licked the soft valley between her breasts.

"Take me home," she whispered as she grasped his head and pushed him away.

Luke staggered back slightly, blinking rapidly as he fought through the haze of alcohol and desire clouding his mind. "I'm sorry," he said in a gravelly voice, raking his hand over his face as he continued backing away from her. He bumped into a table, and flailed a hand to right a chair that he almost toppled over. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he repeated, and then dragged his hand over his cheek as he ducked his head and stumbled back between the tables putting a safe ten feet between them.

"No, Luke, no. Don't be sorry," she said in a rush as she launched herself from the bar.

Luke looked up and stepped back further as she advanced, bumping hard into the corner of a pool table. "I'm sorry. I went too far. There was the lime and the dress and the, damn you taste so good, Salty, sweet," he muttered as he held up one hand to ward her off. "I'm sorry," he mumbled again as he sat down hard on the edge of the pool table.

Lorelai cocked her head as she stopped just in front of him. "You are drunk, aren't you?"

"I don't drink tequila."

"I think we've proved otherwise," she said with an amused smile. She held out her hand and asked, "Got a dollar?"

"Huh?"

"Music ran out," she said as she jerked her head toward the jukebox.

"I thought you wanted to go home."

"I want a dollar."

Luke pulled his wallet from his back pocket, extracted another single and handed it to her.

"Thank you," Lorelai said as she turned on her heel and walked away from him.

She added a little extra sway to her hips, just for good measure, and when she reached the machine, Lorelai was pleased to note that he was still watching her. She fed the bill into the slot and waited a moment for it to register. When the display read '6', she punched in two numbers and then pressed the repeat button.

As the jukebox reset, she walked back over to him and held out her hand. "Dance with me?" she asked as 'All I Want is You' began to play again.

"You wanna dance?" he asked slowly.

"With you, not without you."

"Now who's using Bono?" he asked as he stood up slowly and tucked his wallet back into the pocket of his jeans.

"I am. Shamelessly. Can you dance?" she asked challengingly.

"I can dance," he answered unequivocally.

Lorelai looked down as his hand closed over hers and he pulled her closer to him, his fingers splaying over her back. She placed her other hand carefully on his shoulder, but the moment he began to move her in a slow circle, she let to slide over his collar to the warm skin of his neck. She turned her face to his, closing her eyes for a moment as her thumb stroked the thick stubble just below his jaw.

Luke moved his hand lower, pressing into the small of her back, his fingers tracing tiny circles. Her breath tickled his ear. her sweet perfume battled with the musky scent of stale beer and won hands down; his nostrils flared as he drank it in. Her fingers pushed into his hair, her hand pressing firmly at the base of his skull as she grazed his cheek with the barest of kisses. As the music continued to build, his fingers tightened around her hand and he lifted it higher, guiding it to his neck.

Lorelai's breath hitched in anticipation as she cradled the back of his head. His hand skimmed lightly over her wrist and then closed over the bare skin as he slowly lowered it. His thumb pressed into the tender flesh under her arm as his fingers cupped her shoulder, and she shivered. He turned toward her, their lips almost touching as his hand continued its descent; his fingers caressing her back as the heel of his hand grazed her breast before settling at her narrow waist.

"I meant take me home with you," she whispered into his mouth, and then kissed him deeply.

Their feet continued to move, instinctively following a rhythm even slower than the waning notes of the song. He ran his hands over her body, sliding one up her back and hooking it over her shoulder, pulling her to him as he plundered her mouth, hungry for more of her. He traced the outline of her curves with his hands, dragging them up over her arms, letting his fingers mesh with hers as they tangled in his hair and then drew them back down again, as if memorizing every rise, every dip, and every contour of her.

As the song began again, Lorelai drew back, keeping her eyes locked on him as she lowered her hands to his chest and began to unbutton his flannel. When he glanced down, she said simply, "I need to feel you."

Luke's hands continued to glide over her, swooping lower as she freed button after button, teasing the gentle swell of her bottom. When she opened the last one, he lowered his arms, allowing her to push the flannel from his shoulders and then blessedly to the floor. Lorelai smoothed her hands over the thin cotton of his t-shirt, blinking slowly as she stepped closer, trapping her hands between them.

"Dance with me," she murmured in a soft, sultry voice as she tipped her face up to his kiss.

He kissed her ardently, his feet still moving, turning her in a slow circle as his tongue circled hers. His fingers dipped into the neckline at the back of her dress, toying with the tab on her zipper. Lorelai moaned as he pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to her neck, and then pulled the zipper down an inch. She clawed at the back of his t-shirt, almost tearing through the worn fabric as she pulled it free from his jeans. Luke pulled her silky skin into his mouth, sucking hard as he lowered the zipper another five inches.

"Yes," she hissed as her hands found his skin, pressing into the small of his back and dipping tantalizingly into the waistband of his jeans.

Luke kissed his way down the curve of her neck, his fingers curling into the fabric of her dress, dragging the ruffled sleeve from her shoulder as his mouth roved over her skin, devouring her.

"I want…" she murmured breathlessly as Bono began to sing again.

"You," Luke finished as his hand closed possessively over her breast.

"Yes." Lorelai lowered her hands to his belt buckle and tugged on it impatiently.

Luke's mouth trailed the frilled sleeve of her dress as it slipped from her shoulder. He fumbled for the tab on the zipper once more, pulling on it roughly as he turned and pushed her up against the pool table.

Lorelai's far more nimble fingers made short work of his belt, and the button fly on his jeans popped open under the combined duress of her sharp tug and his straining body. Her hands covered his stomach, slipping up under his shirt to caress his chest as soaring licks of the guitar climbed higher and higher.

Luke abandoned all pretense of finesse as he pulled the strap of her bra from her shoulder. He ducked his head, pressing hot, urgent kisses to the swell of her breast as he dragged the lacy cup down. His lips closed over her beaded nipple, his tongue raking over the sensitive flesh as she arched into him.

She grasped blindly for his jeans, hooking her thumbs into the waistband of his boxers and shoving them down over his hips. Lorelai slid her hand under the elastic, brushing the tip of his rigid cock as she fought to free him. Luke groaned, pulling her deeper into his mouth as her fingers wrapped around him, stroking him hard and fast.

Releasing her breast, he staggered back as the song faded away once more. He covered her hand with his and stilling it as he gulped for air. Their ragged breaths filled the suddenly silent room as he stared at her wild-eyed. She stared back at him unflinchingly, her fingers tightening and fighting against the gentle oppression of his hand.

"Lorelai," he said raggedly as the song started low and soft.

She pulled her hand away and pushed her thumbs into the fabric of her dress, wiggling her hips as she pushed her panties down underneath it. When they fell to the floor, she reached for his hand, pulling him to her as she slipped up onto the edge of the pool table.

"Oh God," he groaned.

"All I want is you," she said as she wriggled her bottom, hiking the skirt of her dress up over her thighs.

Luke stepped between her legs, cupping her neck as he kissed her forcefully, propelling her back onto the table. When he pulled away, Lorelai arched her back, watching him through heavily lidded eyes as she cupped her breast, her fingers playing lightly the nipple he had teased. His hands closed over her thighs, kneading the firm skin as he inched her dress higher, his eyes locked on her breast, watching as she pinched her nipple gently. With a strangled groan, he leaned forward, bracing his weight on one hand as he nudged her hand away and suckling hard and hot.

"With you. I want to be with you," she panted as she wrapped her legs around his hips, urging him toward her.

He reared back, grasping her hips in both hands and pulling her to the edge of the table. He closed his eyes as he pressed against her, feeling her wet heat seep into his skin. He pushed into her, and she cried out, a startled gasp of shock and pleasure.

"Sorry," he breathed as he braced his other hand on the table.

"Not sorry," Lorelai countered as she pressed her calves against his ass. "Oh God, not sorry."

"No," he grunted as he pulled back slightly and then thrust into her, watching as she pressed her head against the table and bowed up off of it.

Lorelai moaned low and deep as he began to move, sliding into her tight walls, and stroking her slowly and deliberately, driving her higher as the song climbed relentlessly. Pleasure pulsed through her, pulling at every nerve and every muscle until they were drawn as taut as a guitar string. She stared up at him through a thick haze of desire and wonder as she whispered his name, tasting it on her lips like the sweet tang of lemon.

"You, you," he groaned.

"Yes, you," she confirmed. Lorelai closed her eyes for a moment, giving herself over to the sensation of him pulsing deep inside of her.

Luke reached for her thigh, his fingers sliding blindly along the back of it as he pulled her leg up higher, circling his hips with each thrust as she closed around him, squeezing him tightly. She whimpered softly and then gasp as the first spasm rocked her to the core. His mouth worked soundlessly as he sucked in air, fighting to keep his eyes open, unwilling to miss a moment of her climax. When she cried out again, he knew the battle was lost. His breath rattled in his chest as he pulsed into her, and she hummed low and soft.

The hum turned into a throaty little laugh of pure feminine satisfaction as he began to slow. She ran her hands greedily over his arms and shoulders, urging him down to her. When he fell forward onto his elbows, replete, she smiled and raked her fingers through his rumpled hair.

Luke blinked rapidly as he stared down at her in disbelief. "What did we do?" he asked in a rough, gravelly voice.

Lorelai's smile widened into a wicked grin. "Tequila shots," she answered.

"Oh my God," he groaned as he hung his head. "Lorelai, I…"

"Wanted me," she finished.

"Yeah, but not like…"

"You wanted me, I wanted you," she stated firmly.

"But," he began as he lifted his head to look at her.

Lorelai shook her head, immediately dismissing his contrite frown. "No buts. You said I was all you wanted."

"I want more than this. More than a pool table in a bar that reeks of spilled beer. Jesus Christ, Lorelai," he said as he pushed up onto his hands and away from her, pulling the skirt of her dress down over her bare thighs before hiking his pants up. He raked one hand over his face as he muttered, "What did I do?"

"What did we do," she corrected stiffly as she sat up, yanking her bra and dress up roughly. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have taken advantage of you."

"Taken advantage of me? On a pool table?" he asked, incredulous. When the song began to play again. "Aw, geez, how many times did you play this? I'm gonna hear it in my sleep!"

"Six," Lorelai answered automatically as she hopped down from the table. She bent at her waist and swiped her panties up off of the floor, "Sorry," she said as she stalked over to the jukebox and pulled the plug from the wall. "Better?" she asked as she glared at him, the scrap of black lace dangling from her fingers as she planted her hands on her hips. "Now you won't have nightmares."

"Oh, I'll have nightmares," he muttered as he buttoned the fly of his jeans.

"You said you wanted me!"

"I did! I do!' he said as he threw his hands up in the air. He saw the look of disgust flicker over her face and sucked in a sharp breath. He covered his mouth with his hand and mumbled, "I'm gonna be sick," as he bolted for the men's room.

"This isn't happening," Lorelai muttered, wrapping her arms around her stomach as she watched him barrel through the open bathroom door.

She hurried to the bar, snatched up her purse, and stuffed her panties into it. She turned toward the door and heard him retch loudly. Her heels clicked across the floor as she hurried for the door. She reached for the lock, but stopped when she heard a deep rasping gasp. Knowing that she shouldn't leave him alone in this condition, she cautiously stepped back into the barroom and began to tiptoe back toward the bathrooms. When she peered curiously around the edge of the bathroom door she saw Luke sitting with his back against the wall and his elbows propped on his knees, his face buried in his hands.

"Luke?" she said softly as she stepped into the doorway.

He lowered his hands and shook his head slowly, but didn't turn to look at her. Lorelai sighed, lowering her hands to her sides as her shoulders sagged. "Luke, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done this, with the shots and the, uh, whatever," she said in a defeated tone. "I just, I thought, well you said that she said, and then after what he said… I'm sorry. It was too much. I want… Too much too soon."

Luke tugged on his fingers, staring at his hands as he asked, "Is that what you want, Lorelai? Diamonds and rings and gold?"

Lorelai frowned as she murmured, "Diamonds on a ring of gold." When he pressed his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, she shook her head. "Those are the words. Diamonds on a ring of gold."

Luke turned his head and shot her an exasperated look, and Lorelai pressed her lips together as she took a step into the tiny room. "I think what I'd just like, for once, is for love to work out right," she confessed softly as she squatted down beside him. "Isn't that what everyone wants?"

Luke wet his lips as he nodded his understanding. He looked down at her hand resting lightly on his bicep. He looked up at her with tired, bloodshot eyes and whispered, "All I want is you."

Lorelai squeezed his arm gently and then dropped to her knees, gathering him into her arms. She pressed her lips to the top of his head as he leaned heavily against her. Smoothing his hair with the flat of her hand, she kissed him before resting her cheek against his fine, soft hair and whispered, "We can work it out, right?"

"Yeah."

Lorelai nodded and stroked his hair. "Come on, let's get you home," she murmured.


	42. Bridging the Breach

**A/N: Bigbagofweird requested that I Slip this episode. I agreed, but was holding it hostage until she updated for Are You Still My Luke Danes? I've been sitting on it since Sunday, but now she's sitting next to me, and still no update. I'm afraid of the Boom Stare, so here it is, even though she missed her deadline. Make sure you let her know that you are anxiously awaiting the update, even though I have released the hostage.**

**Bridging the Breach**

Luke stepped out of the diner holding a bag of trash, and almost stopped short when he saw Lorelai gazing up at Kirk in the plexiglass box suspended above the street. Almost, but not quite. He forced his feet to keep moving and walked to the trash cans he had placed at the curb earlier in anticipation of morning pick up. "How's it going?" he asked with a brusque nod.

"Hey," she greeted him uncomfortably.

Luke jammed the bag onto the can and then turned toward her. "What are you doing out here so late?"

"I needed to take a walk to clear my head, and I wanted to see if Kirk was still in the box."

"Yeah apparently he is. You know, I wouldn't know, I've decided to ignore him. Gawking only encourages his asinine behavior," he said with a shrug.

"What about you? You're usually long gone by now," she pointed out as she gestured to the still lit diner.

"The softball team's celebrating their first win. I couldn't get them out the door." He cocked his head as he asked, "Clearing your head about what?"

Lorelai sighed. "Logan proposed to Rory."

Luke exhaled slowly. "No way. Wow. Wow," he said as he blinked rapidly, digesting the information. "I guess you would need a walk for that. What did she say?"

"Well, she said she needed time to mull it over."

"Good answer."

"I thought so."

"Yeah. So, did she ask for your advice?"

"She did. Yeah."

"And?"

"I told her it was her decision." She smiled at him wanly as she added, "My mother's picking out china patterns."

"Oh, I bet she's all over that," he chuckled. He studied her face closely and then asked, "So, you're leaning toward 'no'?"

Lorelai shook her head quickly. "Oh, uh, no. I'm not really leaning. I'm kind of upright."

Luke nodded slowly as he absorbed the hidden meaning in her words. "Oh well I just, I could understand if you were leaning away from 'yes.'"

"Why?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Well I mean she's really young and it's the most important decision of your life… You know, her life," he amended quickly.

"Well, they love each other. He's been great. Maybe they got it together young. Some people do," she said with a half-hearted shrug.

"Right. And others need time," Luke said gruffly.

"Sure. Or they're never ready," Lorelai replied, a slight edge to her voice.

Luke pursed his lips slightly. "I wouldn't say 'never.' Just they want to be a little more careful. They're a little slower, you know, just to make sure it's right," he said, lifting his eyebrows to make his point.

"Well you can't always be a hundred percent sure it's right. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith," she insisted.

"You got to know what you're leaping into," he retorted.

"After all this time, how could you not know?" she asked, her frustration beginning to bubble over.

"How could who not know?" he asked sharply crossing his arms over his chest.

Lorelai paused for a fraction of a second and then said, "Rory."

Luke nodded again, his mouth tightening as he bit out the word, "Right."

"Right."

"Rory," he repeated, a tinge of bitterness creeping into his voice.

Lorelai turned away, glancing up at Kirk, who had his ear unabashedly pressed to the box, trying to hear what was being said, "Well, that was my walk, and, uh, I'm gonna head home," she said stiffly.

"Good enough," Luke said as he took a step back from her. He glanced back at the brightly lit diner and then held up one finger as he mumbled, "Oh, I almost forgot something. Hang on," and headed for the door.

Lorelai pushed her hands into her coat pockets, holding it closed against the cool spring air as she tipped her head back and drew in a calming breath. She stared up at Kirk, who had quickly straightened up and was sitting in his box with his arms wrapped around his knees. "Are you allowed to talk in there?" she called up to him.

Kirk's reply was muffled as he answered, "Rules are a little gray on that!"

The bells above the diner door jingled and Luke reappeared with a small jewelry box in hand. "I got this for Rory," he said as he came down the steps, holding the box out for her to take.

Lorelai's eyes widened in surprise and she let out a soft, "Oh," as he placed the box in the palm of her hand. She closed her fingers around it, clutching the gift tightly as she swallowed hard and then looked up at him with a tremulous smile.

Luke shifted uncomfortably as he said, "Yeah. I just thought it would be better if she got it on the day of her actual graduation."

"Oh, that's, that's…" Lorelai paused as she ducked her head and stared down at the box. "That's nice," she managed to say at last.

Luke nodded as he stepped back again. "Yeah, so…"

Lorelai's head bobbed up and down and she murmured, "Thoughtful." Forcing herself to get a grip, she squared her shoulders and looked up again. "So, good night," she murmured as she edged away from him.

"Good night," he said as he turned back to the diner.

As Lorelai stepped off of the curb she called out, "Good night, Kirk."

"Good night," Kirk answered as he turned and curled up on his side, snug in his box.

Luke turned back, his hand wrapped tightly around the door handle as he watched her walk away from him once again. "Lorelai!" he called out before he could stop himself.

When she stopped in the middle of the street and turned back to him, he jogged down the diner's steps and over to her. Sparing a brief glance at the plexiglass box containing Kirk's prone form suspended above their heads he shook his head as he stopped just in front of her and asked breathlessly, "Did it mean anything at all?"

"What?" she asked with a confused frown.

"The song. The song!" he said impatiently. "It really didn't mean anything? Because, I know you were singing for Rory, but you were looking at me, and I thought… Christ, I don't know what I thought," he said with a harsh shake of his head. "I just, I don't know, everyone was sayin'… And why would I listen to anything these crackpots say anyway, right? Right," he concluded his argument with himself and spun on his heel, walking quickly back toward the diner.

Kirk sat up in his box as Lorelai stared at Luke's retreating back. "I meant it!" she blurted as he climbed the steps once again. When he turned back to her, his lips parted in shock, she shrugged helplessly and said, "I meant every word."

She held her breath, ignoring Kirk as he plastered his face and hands to the side of the box, his mouth agape at the scene playing out beneath him. Lorelai waited, watching as Luke closed his mouth, nodded once and then opened the diner door. Lorelai felt her heart skip a beat as she saw him turn and walk into the diner without another word.

Her head fell forward and she shook it in disbelief as she wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. "Idiot. You're such and idiot," she muttered as she turned toward home again.

"Lorelai! Wait!" Luke shouted from the open doorway.

Her head swiveled and she cried out, "What, Luke? What do you want from me?"

Luke tipped his head as he held up the coffee pot clutched in his hand. He waited, holding his breath. When she started toward him, he couldn't help the smug smile that curved his lips. But the smile faded as quickly as it came once he saw the grim expression on her face as she picked up speed, stomping toward him. He stepped back a little, holding the half-empty pot out to his side as she charged up the steps.

Lorelai raised both hands and planted them on his flannel clad chest, shoving him back into the diner with all of her might. "You were never just that! Never!"

"Lorelai," he grunted as he caught his balance, the steaming coffee sloshing in the pot.

"And I can't be whoever you think Lorelai Gilmore is! I don't even know who that is!" she shouted.

"Lorelai, I…"

"And I did, dammit! I did love you. I do love you, okay?" she yelled, tears clogging her throat. "I loved you so much that I lost everything, even me. I was so sure about you," she said vehemently; hot, angry tears spilling over her cheeks as she gasped for breath. "I was so sure that you knew me."

Lorelai covered her face with her hands, digging her nails into her hairline, and taking a step back toward the door as she fought to get herself under control. "I was so sure it was right," she said softly, and swiped at her cheeks with the heels of her palms as she lowered her hands.

Lorelai looked at the pot filled with the dark brew she had once craved so badly and then looked away as she took a deep breath. She gritted her teeth as she said slowly and carefully, "I don't want your coffee," and turned to leave.

Luke's voice was deep and throaty as he said, "I didn't hesitate. When you asked, you know..." Lorelai stopped on the threshold, but didn't turn around. "I mean, I wasn't sure that I heard you right at first, but when I realized that I did, I didn't hesitate," he said quietly. "Not for a second. I wanted to marry you, Lorelai. I wanted to marry you so bad. I don't know what happened. I don't know why I did what I did, but it was never about you. Not you," he told her firmly.

"Felt like it was about me," she whispered as she turned back to face him.

"I know, and I'm sorry. You'll never know how sorry I am about that," he said, his voice breaking with sincerity.

"We've both have a lot to be sorry for."

"And I said things, stupid things, things that I didn't mean because, because I had to say them. I had to make myself believe that I didn't completely fuck up the one thing, the only thing that I've ever truly wanted," he continued, his voice a harsh rasp.

When her eyes met his, he took a deep breath and a tentative step toward her. "I loved you, Lorelai. I still love you. I will _always_ love you," he finished softly.

The blood rushed in her ears. She vaguely registered the sound of Kirk banging on his plexiglass prison, and his muffled, desperate cries for someone, anyone to help.

"Can you hold that thought?" she asked in a breathy whisper.

"Yeah," he answered with an understanding nod.

Lorelai ducked her head out of the door and called, "Kirk? Are you okay?"

"Are you and Luke getting back together?" Kirk shouted. When Lorelai laughed and straightened up, she heard him yelling, "Bars! Why can't I get any bars on this damn phone? Stupid box! Stupid glass! The escape hatch is jammed. I think my pants are caught in it. I can't get a signal! Someone needs to get me down!"

"I guess some things don't change so much," she said to Luke.

He stood rooted to the spot as he shook his head. "Nope."

Without taking her eyes off of him, Lorelai moved into the diner and closed the door carefully behind her. "You were saying?" she asked leadingly.

"You heard me," he answered gruffly.

"Say it again," she ordered.

Luke held up the long rectangular box he had been clutching in his other hand. "I saw this and it reminded me of your eyes, so I got it for you."

Those bright blue eyes locked on his as she reached for the proffered box. She took it, wrapping her fingers around it and feeling the imprint of his hand where it had warmed the pink paper. But instead or tearing it open, she lowered it to her side, clutching it as tightly as he had as she said simply, "Thank you."

He knew her well enough to know that she was waiting as patiently as she could, but she wouldn't wait forever. "I know I screwed up, and you screwed up and it all got so screwed up, but it didn't change. Nothing is going to change how I feel about you," he said in a low, deep voice.

"Christopher is going to be there tomorrow. Hell, he was at my parents' house tonight," she said with a wave of her hand. "That didn't change anything. I need you to understand something, once and for all. I tried, okay? I tried because that's what everyone thought I should do. My parents, you… But he was never you. He could never be you," she said quietly.

Luke nodded his understanding. "Remind me to tell you sometime about April's swim coach."

"No," she said stubbornly, her jaw tightening with displeasure as she looked away.

His answering smile was soft and warm with affection. "Okay, I won't," he quietly.

With lightning speed, Lorelai closed the distance between them, throwing herself into the breach as she wrapped her arms tightly around him, burying her face in his neck and inhaling the achingly familiar scent of bar soap, french fries, two-in-one shampoo and grilled meat.

The coffee pot slipped from his fingers, completely forgotten as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. It shattered at their feet, splattering their legs with scalding liquid as they clung to one another, mindless of the mess that they had made.

"I couldn't help it," she whispered. "I saw you and I couldn't stop it. The words. It was you, it was all you."

"I know," he murmured as he ran his hand over her hair. "I wanted… I wanted to do this, to tell you this, but I didn't know what to say." He pulled back slightly, and when she raised her head, he captured her lips in a sweet kiss.

Lorelai smiled as he pressed his forehead to hers, his breath drying her moist lips, and imprinting his kiss on them. "Show me," she whispered. Her lips curved into a ghost of a smile. "Let your actions speak."

Luke's hand stilled for a moment and then fisted into her hair as she tipped her face up. His lips met hers, and she melted into him, her mouth soft and pliant beneath his, willing to take anything he was willing to give. His hand tightened on her hip as he drew her closer, his fingers gliding over the rough wool of her coat and then pressing into her back.

She parted her lips, delighting in the smooth pressure of his mouth against hers, and savoring the slight hint of peppermint from the tea she knew he had probably sipped between filling those late night orders. She slid her fingers up under the bill of his cap, curling them into the soft waves of his hair and knocking that precious blue cap to the floor and into a puddle of coffee.

His tongue brushed hers, shyly seeking her approval, needing just one sign that this was really happening. She hummed softly, and that tiny moan of capitulation which had always aroused him, now shook him to the soles of his feet. His tongue swept into her mouth, claiming hers, and he kissed her so ardently that she would know, she had to know, that he would never let her go again.

There was a loud clatter as a piece of plexiglass fell to the street, and Luke pulled back abruptly. Their heads swiveled in time to see pair pants fall to the asphalt, and then a set of pale legs encased in knee-high striped tube socks dangling from the box suspended over the intersection.

"What the hell?" Luke muttered.

"His pants were caught in the trap door thingy," Lorelai said as Kirk's tighty-whities came into view. "Thank God they aren't Underoos," she said in a breathy whisper as they watched Kirk hang from the box by his hands.

"He's gonna kill himself," Luke grumbled.

Kirk dropped from the box, bending his knees and tucking his body to absorb the impact, and then turning a graceful somersault on the pavement to slow the momentum of his fall.

"Now that was impressive," Lorelai said, glancing up at Luke to see if he agreed.

"No kidding," he answered, loosening his hold on her, but refusing to let her go entirely.

Kirk shook his head to clear it as he stood up and brushed himself off a bit before he bent to pick up his pants. As he straightened, he turned to peer into the diner and spotted Lorelai and Luke with their arms wrapped around each other. Clutching his pants, Kirk suddenly remembered his mission and took off at a run.

"Wow, so I guess that concludes the entertainment portion of our evening," Lorelai said as she drew back slightly.

"I suppose I should let you go," he mumbled, a worried frown knitting his brow. "Big day tomorrow."

"Yeah, it is," she agreed softly.

"I don't want to," he said gruffly. "I'm afraid if I let you go, then this won't have happened. I'm afraid that if I let you go, tomorrow you'll say it didn't mean anything."

"I can't say that it didn't mean anything, Luke. It meant everything," she said adamantly as she rose up to kiss him softly. She looked up at him and whispered, "Don't let me go. Please don't."

Luke pulled her closer again, holding her tightly as he looked down at the treacherous shards of glass and the spreading pool of coffee at their feet. "I hope you meant it when you said you didn't want coffee, 'cause I'm not making more," he warned as he brushed a kiss to her temple.

"You could make some upstairs," she suggested. "That is, if you still have…"

"It's in the closet."

"It still works?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll see," he told her as he released his hold on her and reached for her hand.

As they stepped carefully over the remnants of the coffee pot, Lorelai said, "I'll go get the mop."

"Leave it."

"But, Luke," she began to protest.

"Forget it. I'll get it in the morning," he said as he tugged on her hand.

"Wait!" Lorelai said as she leaned back, resisting his pull. When he let up his face closed off, his expression instantly guarded. She shook her head and said, "Poor hat," as she bent to scoop it up off of the floor. "We need to Shout this out stat," she told him as she showed him the stains where the coffee had soaked into the crown and the edge of the bill.

Luke rolled his eyes as he took the hat from her and then began to lead her to the curtain. Lorelai smiled as he held the curtain aside, and slipped past him, snatching the hat from his hand as she headed for the stairs. "You do have Shout, right? Or Spray 'n Wash?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Oh no, I am worrying about it. This hat must be saved. Otherwise, you'll go back to wearing that god-awful black hat," she said as she hurried up the steps ahead of him.

"What's wrong with the black hat?" he asked, sounding vaguely insulted.

Smiling as she leaned against the wall next to the door, she watched his oh-so-familiar movements as he dug his keys from his pocket. "It just wasn't you," she said firmly.

"It's a hat," he grumbled as he threw the door open.

Lorelai nodded. "Right. And this is so much more than just a hat," she said as she dropped the rectangular box onto the table and hurried to the sink. She began to run cold water and held the hat under the faucet as she turned to look at him as he hovered behind her. "Go, go, get, we need stain removal," she ordered.

Luke rolled his eyes as he opened the closet door and reached for the spray bottle of Spray 'n Wash he kept on the shelf. "Shout sucks," he muttered as he approached the sink. "This gets everything out."

"Everything except blueberries," she said with a grin.

"Yeah, well, they probably don't expect people to dump a whole pie over in bed," he said as he dutifully sprayed the damp hat liberally with spot remover.

"There," Lorelai said with a nod as she placed the hat on the counter. "You'll need to spray it again before you wash it."

"Got it. I know the drill," he said as he placed the bottle on the counter next to the hat.

Lorelai smiled as she leaned back against the sink. She ducked her head as her cheeks flushed pink, and she looked up at him shyly. "Hey."

"Hey," he replied as he reached for her, and pulled her into his arms once more.

"I missed you. I missed you like you wouldn't believe," she said quietly.

"I'd believe it."

"I guess we need to talk," Lorelai said with a sigh as she toyed with a button on his shirt.

"I don't think so."

"No?" she asked, surprised.

"I mean, yeah we have to talk more, you know, in the future," he said quickly. "But about that? I think we both know," he concluded with a nod.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"And from here on out?" she asked.

"You have to tell me when I'm screwing up." Luke brushed her hair back from her face, his voice dropping as he said, "And I have to tell you when I get scared or freaked out or whatever."

"Sounds about right."

Luke nodded. "And I have to tell you, you know, a lot, because I never, ever want you to wonder about how I feel about you. Never again."

"Tell me what?" she asked coyly.

Luke looked up as he mentally reviewed his last sentence and then chuckled when he realized that he'd left the key part out. "That I love you."

"And you'll always love me," she added with a smile.

"Right."

"Just like I will always love you," she told him.

"Just like that," he whispered as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her passionately.

The room spun as she closed her eyes, leaping over the edge, letting him hold onto her as they stepped off into a freefall. And then as quickly as the world spun up, it slowed. It slowed as her body pressed against his, fitting into him in a way that she had never fit anywhere else. It slowed as his hands moved over her body, peeling the wool coat from her shoulders, and sliding the band that restrained her hair down the length of her ponytail in one well practiced move. Her hands fluttered against his chest and then found purchase on the tiny plastic buttons of his shirt. He kissed her over and over again, as they stripped away the layers that lie between them; slow and soft, hot and heavy. Their lips said it all; sometimes simply touching, mostly hungrily tasting, questions asked, reassurance given, and the inevitable unspoken but accepted.

Articles of clothing fell to the floor one by one, creating a haphazard trail that led from the sink to the bed. When they came up for air, they stood panting, bare-chested and poised on the brink once again. They looked at each other measuring time against the beating of their hearts. His pants were wide open, the button of her jeans was long since undone, and Lorelai smiled as she stooped to unlace his boots. She glanced up at him as she cupped each leg, helping him step out of the heavy shoes that kept him anchored in place. When she straightened up, she looked him in the eye as she toed off her sneakers and he held her arms, keeping her steady as she kicked them aside.

Lorelai looked down at the trail of clothing, her lips curving slightly as she noted that all they were missing this time was a champagne bottle on the nightstand. "This seems familiar. We've been here before," she murmured as she glanced up at him bashfully.

"I recognize, uh, you," he said with a breathy chuckle as he brushed her hair back over her shoulder.

"Good. That's good," she said softly.

"It's very good."

"Remind me to sing Dolly Parton songs to you more often."

"I thought it was Whitney Houston," he said with a puzzled frown.

Lorelai shuddered as she smoothed her hands over his chest and let them trail down into the vee of his open jeans. "No, that version was pure Dolly."

"My mistake," he rasped.

Lorelai nodded sagely as she looked up at him, meeting his steady blue gaze. "Don't do it again."

"I won't," he promised as he swooped in to seal the deal with a kiss.

Lorelai pushed his jeans and boxer briefs down over his hips, smoothing her hands possessively over his taut ass as she pushed them down, and her lips clinging to his. With one more kiss, Luke pulled away reluctantly and finished stripping off his clothes and then hers. Lorelai stepped out of her jeans and then sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching for his hand as she fell back onto the pillows.

Luke followed her down, the hard planes of his body, covering her soft curves, pressing her deep into the mattress as he cradled her head between his forearms and kissed her over and over again.

Lorelai moaned as he moved against her, ducking his head to suck gently at the soft skin beneath her ear. When he drew lightly on that spot that always made her breath catch, a sob bubbled up in her throat. Luke heard it and shook his head as he lifted it.

"Don't. Please don't."

"Oh God, I missed you. Missed this. Missed us," she whispered to the ceiling, unable to meet his eyes. "I missed us long before we were over," she confessed.

"It was never over," he told her firmly. "I'm in this too, Lorelai, and I say we will never be over."

"Luke."

"I'd marry you right now. Today, tonight, I mean. If that's what you want, that's what I'll do," he told her.

"Too many proposals in one day," she said with a watery smile.

"Hang onto that one. I'll do it better some other time," he told her. He moved to kiss her again, but then drew back and peered down at her. "But I get to do it this time. You're just gonna have to keep your pants on and wait for it."

"But I'm not wearing pants," she answered with an impish grin.

"Pretend that you are."

"Okay. But if I pretend that I'm wearing pants, and you're not wearing any pants, I have to tell you that that thing you're doing with your hips isn't going to get you anywhere," she said with mock solemnity.

"I can work around pretend pants," he growled as he gave her a hard, proprietary kiss.

"Good to know," Lorelai murmured as he reached for her arms and pinned her hands up onto the pillow as he kissed his way down her neck. She purred deep in her throat and felt his lips curve against her skin; his fingers trailing lightly down her arms until she flinched and giggled.

Luke looked up his smile widening as the twinkle in his eyes told her that he remembered every little thing about her. She lay still, letting his mouth and hands roam over her body, moaning softly as his lips, teeth and tongue reacquainted themselves with her breasts, smiling a smile of pure feminine pleasure as his mouth reclaimed her stomach, her hips, and her thighs. She gave voice to that pleasure in no uncertain terms as he parted her with his tongue, laving her gently, tasting her reverently, before finally devouring her greedily.

She cried out as her climax hit hard and hot, pulsing through her body and making her muscles quiver with release. She closed her eyes, not needing to see him to know that he was smiling that smug smile that drove her wild.

"Pleased with yourself?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yes. And that you're pleased," he murmured as he pressed soft, wet kisses to the insides of her thighs.

"I'm going to be just as smug as you are just as soon as I can move," she threatened weakly.

"That pleases me too," he said with a low chuckle.

"Oh, you'll be sorry," she said as she pulled on his arms, urging him back up over her.

"I doubt that," he said, flashing her that cocky smile.

"Urrgh, you," she said as she pushed on his chest.

Luke laughed as he willingly rolled onto his back, letting her have her way with him. Lorelai pushed herself upright, shaking her hair back out of her face as she tried to glare at him and failed. "You use that smile against me. You know it drives me crazy," she accused with a pout.

"Every chance I get," he admitted easily.

Lorelai snarled at him and he laughed again, his eyes crinkling at the corners as the grooves in his cheeks deepened. "Never been able to resist that either," she murmured as she began to circle her hips enticingly. Her own smile grew as she watched him swallow visibly and knew that this round would go her way. "Tell me you love me," she taunted softly, trailing her finger through the hair that ran down his stomach.

Luke's expression sobered for a moment, and then broke into a wide smile. He reached up and pushed his hands into her hair, holding it back from her face as he looked into her eyes. "I love you, Lorelai Gilmore."

Lorelai raised her hand to his scruffy cheek and cupped it tenderly. "_That_ is very good to know," she said as she leaned down and kissed him deeply. That hand skimmed lightly over his body as she rocked back, stroking him lightly as she guided him to her entrance. She looked up and said softly, "Once more unto the breach, dear friend."

"What?" he asked breathlessly.

"Nothing. Shakespeare. Twelfth grade literature. Rory's not mine, of course," she said with a sheepish smile.

Luke returned that smile, knowing that this was just one of a million crazy things flitting through that beautiful head of hers at that moment. "I hope more than once," he said gruffly.

Lorelai closed her eyes, a small smug smile of her own lifting her lips as she sank down onto him. "Much, much more," she said in a throaty purr.

She flattened her hands to his stomach, feeling his muscles bunch beneath her fingertips as she began to move slowly. She opened her eyes and found him staring up at her, his eyes dark with arousal, his lips slack parted with desire. She watched the play of pleasure and emotion on his face, each one battling for dominance from one moment to the next. She knew the exact second that pleasure won out, taking control of his body and vanquishing emotion to the deep blue abyss of his eyes. His hands tightened on her waist and his hips bucked to meet hers, but she was lost, tumbling head over heels into those eyes and wondering how she could ever have doubted him.

Vaguely, she felt his hand slide from her hip, but still, she gasped in surprise as he began to stroke her sensitive flesh with his fingertips. She glanced down, momentarily wondering how he had managed to turn the tables on her so quickly. And then, she let it go, warmed by the flicker of steely determination flare in those fathomless eyes.

Her breath quickened, escaping her lips in soft puffs as she rode him faster still, racing toward completion. She saw his long dark lashes flutter and knew he was struggling to hang on. She saw his soft lips silently form her name, and knew that in that moment, sound was insanely overrated. "I love you, Luke Danes," she whispered, soft and sure and then smiled as he gaped for a moment, and then clamped his mouth shut, gritting his teeth as his eyes closed.

Moving steadily, she continued to ride him as he filled her, letting the heat of him pull her into the abyss with him. She collapsed on his chest, panting and spent, and then draped herself bonelessly over the length of him.

The soft rasp of their labored breathing filled the room as his hands danced over the smooth column of her back. Lorelai lay lax on top of him, letting him cushion her weight as her breathing slowed and she wondered if they would crash back down to reality. "I meant it," she whispered, a last ditch effort to hold what had been their reality for the past year at bay.

"Yeah, I know," he assured her gruffly and then pressed a kiss to her tousled hair.

The silent apartment all but hummed around them as they lay locked together, neither of them daring to give voice to the questions that buzzed in their heads. Lorelai blinked once, twice and then a third time as she forced herself to focus on the ancient alarm clock on his nightstand. She sighed and pressed her palms into the mattress, pushing herself up and lifting her body from his. If anyone had asked her too, she could have imitated the exact sound he made when his body slipped from the warmth of hers. Half groan, half breathy sigh, she knew it shouldn't have shocked her, but it did; setting the butterflies loose in her stomach.

She licked her lips as she gazed down at him, her arms quaking as she held herself above him. "What now?" she asked, her voice breathy and achingly vulnerable.

Luke's eyebrows lifted at the hint of doubt in her voice. "What now?" he replied in a bewildered tone.

"I mean, uh, yeah, what now?" she asked.

"Here, um, well, you should lie down," he said as he scooted over slightly patted the bed beside him.

"Okay," she said with a slight nod and then rolled over onto the bed. She flung one arm up over her head, and her fingers immediately began to worry a lock of hair. "Better?"

"I don't know, is it?" he asked as he rolled up onto his elbow facing her.

"Yeah, I think that's better," she said as she stared up at the ceiling.

"You don't, um, are you… Do you regret this?" he asked cautiously, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Oh! No, no," she answered as she shook her head adamantly.

"O-kay."

"I just, um," she paused, her fingers drumming on her own stomach nervously. "I just mean, what do we do now? Do we date? Are you going to come by the house and take me to dinner, kiss me goodnight at my door?"

"Is that what you want?" he asked, curiously.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "I hate dating."

Luke chuckled. "Me too."

"So we're, you and me, we're together now, right?" she asked as she glanced over at him nervously.

"We'd better damn well be," Luke growled as he rolled over and off of the bed.

Lorelai pushed herself up against the pillows, watching him cautiously as he circled the end of the bed. "Well, I'm just asking," she said defensively.

"I can't believe you even have to ask," he tossed back over his shoulder as he strode bare naked into the kitchen.

"I just want to be really clear," she said stubbornly.

"Fine. You want clear, I'll give you clear," he said as he bypassed the glass of water he had intended to get and snatched the box wrapped in pink paper from the countertop where it lay long forgotten. He walked back over to the bed and dropped down onto his knees beside it. "I bought this because it reminded me of your eyes," he told her again as he held up the box. He slid one finger into the paper and began to tear it.

"Hey! That's mine," she said as she reached for it.

"You had your chance," he retorted as he held it out of her reach, He turned his back and quickly removed the rest of the paper before opening the box. "It's not a ring, but I didn't know that I should be ring shopping. Hell, I wasn't even shopping for you," he grumbled. "But I know you, and you are the world's most impatient woman. You can't be trusted to keep your pants on, and no, I don't mean it that way, and you want to be really, really super-duper extra clear, so here goes."

Luke paused his rant long enough to drag in a deep breath and then offered her the box with the necklace that reminded him of her. "Lorelai, will you marry me?"

Lorelai's smile was instantaneous and she didn't even need to check to be sure she had heard him right. She nodded emphatically and answered without hesitation, "Yes."


	43. Dressed for Success

**A/N: Here's your RDA of smut! I took a few liberties with the episode and also with the buttons on Lorelai's dress, I hope you don't mind, I can tell you that Lorelai and Luke didn't seem to mind at all.**

**The next three chapters of Slip are up for grabs in the Support Stacie Author Auction September 11-14, 2009. ****Here's how it will work, I will offer up one chapter per day for each day of the auction, and the highest bidder at the end of each day wins. See? Easy peasy! See my profile page for more information.  
**

**Dressed for Success**

Disturbing. That was the word of the day. The smug smile on Emily Gilmore's lips. The hideous dress that everyone but Nancy Reagan would have just said 'no' to. Stilted catwalks, and women checking out Luke's toolbox. It was all just too much. The moment her mother left the room, Lorelai turned in her chair, scanning the dining room to check her kitchen staff's clean up progress. She froze when she saw Luke and Ava engaged in some intense conversation near the doorway. _Luke Danes engaged in intense conversation_. That alone was disturbing enough to knock the already uneven supports out from underneath her.

Lorelai stood up and hurried to the sanctuary of the kitchen, unwilling to bear witness to her friend inevitable vivisection at the claws of a Chilton cougar. _The nerve of that woman, looking at Luke like he was a designer handbag she just had to have. Him. There. Man with tools. _Lorelai snorted. _She pointed, actually pointed her acrylic tipped nail at him, like he was some prime hunk of beef in a butcher shop display case._ _No one gets to point at Luke like that. He's not a piece of meat, he's Luke, the man who cooks the meat. _Lorelai paused just inside the kitchen door._ He does always smell a little bit like meat,_ she conceded with a frown as she made a beeline for the coffeemaker. _Maybe that's the attraction._

She poured herself a cup of coffee and offered one of the busboys a tired half smile as she leaned back against the counter, letting the hustle and bustle of the kitchen drown out the disturbing thoughts crowding her head. _How well I fit in. I don't fit in with that world. That world came here, to my world. I fit that world into my world,_ she thought stubbornly.

Lorelai watched as tub after tub of dirty dishes were transported back to the kitchen. She looked around and spotted Pedro at the sink. "Hey, has Sookie gone home?" she asked him.

"She's gone," Pedro answered with a nod.

Lorelai turned back to the dining room door and saw Billy come through the swinging door with an armload of tablecloths. Sighing heavily, she pushed away from the counter, determined to finish up for the night so that she could go too.

She wove her way through the stripped down tables, relieved to find that she was the only one left in the room. Lorelai made her way to the podium to check that the P.A. system had been shut down, and making mental notes of instructions to be left for the crew coming in the next morning to dismantle the catwalk and return the room to its usual configuration. The speakers crackled and hummed as she switched the microphone on and then off again to reassure herself. She opened the CD player on the sound system and eyed the disc she herself had labeled, 'Fabulous Fashion Show Fun' with a black Sharpie. But as she reached for the disc, she hesitated, glancing over at the still lit stage with a frown. _This is my world. No matter how Emily spins it, this is still my world, not theirs. My inn, my music, my event, my Luke, _she thought petulantly. _Waffle is NOT happy._

Dropping the CD back into the player, she punched the play button and the speakers sprang to life. Pushing her lower lip out in a pout, Lorelai marched to the edge of the stage and climbed the steps. Planting one hand on her hip, she turned the full force of her pout on the empty room and slinked her way to the center of the stage with an exaggerated sway of her hips.

As Cyndi Lauper screeched what had once been her personal anthem, she stuck a pose, framing her face and vogue-ing for her invisible audience in a manner that would have put Madonna to shame. One foot in front of the other, she walked the catwalk, stopping at the very end to fling her arms into the air, and release every disturbing thought that had plagued her into the room as she pirouetted and preened.

_Rory. I do it all for Rory, and Rory is totally worth it,_ she reminded herself.

She spun in her high heeled pumps, working the catwalk as only renowned Belgian supermodel, Waffle, could walk it. The music carried her away, filling her with a joyous abandon that she too often forgot she possessed. Spinning, twirling, pouting, posing, she strutted her stuff, owning the room as only small-town mom, Lorelai Gilmore, could.

As the song drew to a close, she tipped her face to the ceiling, a joyous smile lighting the stage with the brilliance of a thousand hundred-watt bulbs, as she spun in a tight circle, her arms flung wide.

"That's all the really waaaaaaant!" she sang out as the music began to fade.

A smattering of applause from the kitchen doorway and a sharp wolf whistle from the corner of the room jolted her from her reverie, bringing her crashing down to reality with a resounding thud. She peered at the kitchen door only to see two of the busboys disappear as it swung shut. She shielded her eyes from the overhead lights, scanning the room for the wolf.

Lorelai's jaw dropped in mortification when she saw Luke push away from the far wall, clapping slowly. "You should have done that earlier," he called to her.

"Why are you still here? I thought you'd left," she said as she hurried off of the stage.

"I didn't know if you would need help taking this thing down," he answered with a shrug. Luke bent down to pick up his jacket and toolbox and carried them as he meandered toward the front of the room.

"Oh. No. Thanks. The morning crew will take care of it," she said, keeping her eyes carefully averted as she punched the eject button on the stereo once more and yanked the CD from the tray.

"Okay." He set his toolbox down on the end of the catwalk and dropped his coat over it.

"I can't believe you're still here," she muttered. "Don't you have someone, er, something better to do?"

"Better than this? If I'd left, I would have missed the real show," he teased as he moved closer.

Lorelai's head jerked up, and she found herself staring at Luke over the podium. His smile was a mile wide, his eyes crinkled at the corners, but even that did nothing to distract from the way they danced with pleasure.

"I was just… unwinding," she explained lamely.

"You looked great. The dress is fantastic," he told her, not bothering to conceal his amusement.

"Oh, go home," she grumbled as she pushed past him to head for the changing room.

"No, really, you look good in red," he told her as he followed close on her clicking high heels.

"It's god-awful," she grunted.

"Yeah, but you make it look good."

Lorelai turned to face him, making Luke draw up short before he plowed directly into her. "What? Tonight wasn't enough humiliation all on its own? You wanted to hang out and get a few more digs in?" she demanded.

"Humiliation? You did a great job," he said with a bewildered frown.

"I did. I did do a great job, and everyone loved it. I did a great job and I did it for Rory, so get off my back," she snapped, and then walked away again.

"Get off your back? Hey, I helped you out here," he retorted as he chased after her.

"Yeah, well, you got a little something out of it, didn't you?" she snarled.

"You think I've been hanging around just hoping I'd get a glimpse of you acting like a… a, I don't know what?" he demanded as he grabbed her elbow, jerking her to a stop.

"I know what you've been hanging around for, Luke. I have to warn you, you'd better be careful."

"Careful? What? Are you afraid a six inch high platform is going to fall on me and crush me?"

"No, but a six foot Chilton mom, probably would," she spat.

"Huh?"

"And let me tell you, women like that only want a guy for one thing. Well, two, actually. One you don't have enough of, but the other, I'm sure you have the tools for that," she said snidely.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I saw you! I saw you talking to Ava!"

"Ava?"

"That woman, Ava, she's in my Booster Club."

"Yeah, she mentioned that. What about her?"

Lorelai blew out a breath, trying to get a handle on her thoughts. "I saw you guys talking alone and it seemed kind of private, and she mentioned earlier that you didn't make her, you know, gag, so I just figured you guys were making some sort of plans to hang out," she began, forcing herself to keep her tone calm and even. "And see, the thing is, I just think it would be a little weird if you started dating a Chilton mom." She bit her lip as she saw comprehension begin to dawn on his face. "Look, I know I have no right to say anything to you, but it's just, um, if you did date her, well, I'm in the Booster Club with her, which means that I'll hear things, and I don't know, it's just, I'd like to keep that Chilton life separate from my Stars Hollow life, so if there's any way that you could not date her, that would be really great…" she trailed off.

Luke shook his head slowly as he processed all that she had said. "Boy, I tell you, you've got nerve," he grumbled.

Lorelai began to turn away again. "Okay. Well, I know this is your private business."

Luke tightened his grip on her elbow, his fingers pressing into her arm as he asserted, "It is my private business."

She frowned as she glanced down at his hand. "You don't see any validity to my side at all?"

"I am a grown man. You cannot tell me who to date."

"I'm not telling you who to date, I'm telling you who not to date."

"You can't tell me that either," he growled, his fingers tightening even more.

"Look…" she began nervously.

"I will date who I like, and if that screws with your plans, then sorry. And if you don't wanna hear things, then don't listen," he said angrily.

"But…"

"If you don't like it, you can just deal with it."

"Okay, I'll just deal with it."

"Good."

"Luke, that hurts," she said as she glanced meaningfully down at her arm.

"Sorry," he said as he immediately released his hold on her.

Lorelai took a deep breath, rubbing her arm absently as she tried to calm her jangled nerves. "I just thought that if something was going to affect our friendship in some way that you might care about that, because if the situation was reversed, then I would care, but hey, that's me." Growing more agitated with each word, she flushed, her voice rising with anger. "And so…go ahead, date her, marry her, make her Mrs. Backwards Baseball Cap, live happily ever after, see if I care." She threw up her arms and barreled into the small room they had used as their backstage area, shutting off the dining room lights with an angry flick of her hand.

Luke followed her. "And by the way, I wasn't asking her out. I was giving her directions for the quickest way back to Hartford." When she turned and eyed him skeptically, his voice deepened. "It was very romantic. I said you take a right at Deerfield, and you catch the I-5 and you take it south. Oh man, hot stuff," he added with a snort.

"That is so typical of you!"

"What?"

Lorelai stamped her foot in frustration. "That is not the quickest way back to Hartford! Everybody knows that you take Main to Cherry to Lynwood and then grab the I-11. Everybody knows that Luke! Everybody, apparently, but you!" she shouted.

"What do you care how she gets back to Hartford?" he shouted back.

"I don't care! I don't care where she goes as long as she's gone!"

They stood toe to toe, staring each other down, their chests heaving with exertion as the sudden silence enveloped them. Without warning, he snaked one arm around her waist and pulled her up against him.

"What are you doing?" she gasped.

"Blurring the lines," he answered. Luke lowered his lips to hers in a crushing kiss.

Just as she began to respond to the demands of his lips, he released her; sending her stumbling back against the rack of dresses to be cleaned and returned.

"You don't have to tell me my place, Lorelai. I know where I belong," he said gruffly.

"You belong?" she whispered as she raised her fingers to her bruised lips.

"I belong here in Stars Hollow, and the only Chilton mom I'm interested in does too," he said quietly, and then turned to leave.

Lorelai stared at the doorway, unable to move as the tail of his blue plaid flannel flared out behind him and then disappeared from view.

"Luke, wait!" she cried as she rushed after him. She hurried into the dining room, blinking in the dim glow from the safety lights and spotted him shrugging into his faded green army jacket. "Luke!"

Luke simply shook his head and hefted the toolbox. "Forget it, Lorelai. I'm sorry," he told her without turning around.

"Sorry you kissed me?" she asked.

He slowly set the box down and turned to face her, his jaw tightening as he lifted his head and looked her square in the eye. "No, not that," he said at last.

"Sorry about what, then?"

"I'm just sorry," he said, letting his head fall forward as he blew out a breath.

"It made me crazy when I saw you chatting her up," she said softly.

"I wasn't 'chatting her up', I was giving her directions."

"These women, they're different from you and me. One of them can't even remember her step-kid's name," Lorelai said as she held her hands out in a helpless gesture.

"Yeah? And what is it they want?" he asked as he looked up at her.

"She talked about you like you just were some stud for hire," Lorelai murmured as she took a step closer. "I wanted to slap her."

"And you don't think I can handle women like that," he stated flatly, placing his hands on his hips.

"They only want guys with money, Luke. They're not interested in who you are, it's what you can do for them," she tried to explain gently.

"I see," he answered, the muscle in his jaw tightening as he glanced around the now darkened dining room. "And you, Lorelai? You're a Chilton mom. What are you interested in?"

"You're my friend."

"Yeah, I know," he answered dejectedly.

"I can't lose you as my friend."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," he said dismissively as he reached for his toolbox once more.

Lorelai reached out and captured his hand, clasping it between both of hers as she waited for him to look at her again. "Promise?" she asked softly.

"I promise," he said with a slight nod.

"Good."

Lorelai pulled his hand to her chest, trapping it between them as she pressed her lips to his, letting them linger there until he caught up. The next thing she knew, she was caught up in his arms again. Parting her lips as he angled his head, his hat tumbled to the floor as she tasted the faint musk of tea, and reveled in the soft caress of his mouth on hers, the tingling rasp of his beard against her skin.

"You," she whispered as their lips parted. She released his hand and curled her fingers around the lapels of his trusty army jacket. "I'm interested in you."

Luke's hand slid to her waist, holding her firmly as his other hand pushed into the soft hair at the nape of her neck. He kissed her again, this time taking all the time he needed to drink her in. When her lips parted, his tongue sought hers, deepening the kiss as she melted into him. He groaned softly, pulling her flush against him as his fingers buried themselves in her hair.

Lorelai hummed softly into his mouth, losing herself in the kiss as her hair slipped through his fingers. She felt the clip that held it captive release, and heard it clatter to the floor as he cradled the back of her head, plundering her mouth, taking all that he wanted.

"Oh god," she whispered as he trailed fiery kisses along her jaw. She tipped her head up, stumbling back slightly under the onslaught. The backs of her legs hit the edge of the stage, and she went down hard. Luke blinked in shock as she stared up at him wide-eyed. "Stage," she whispered nonsensically.

"You looked great up there," he rasped.

Lorelai grabbed his jacket in both fists and pulled him down, her mouth eagerly seeking his again, her hands frantically pushing the coat from his shoulders. Luke pressed one knee to the stage, letting her pull him to her, and bracing one hand on the plywood surface as he kissed her ardently.

When she grunted in frustration, he reared back, yanking his arms from his sleeves, and chuckling softly as he realized that she had managed to strip away his flannel too. "I'm beginning to think you're only interested in one thing," he murmured as he bent to press his lips to the pulse racing in her throat.

Lorelai bowed into him, running her hands greedily over his muscled shoulders and back. "I am. You, you," she whispered in his ear.

Luke lowered himself to her, pushing her back onto the stage. Lorelai moaned as she felt the hard length of him pressing into her. He nipped at her ear and then drew the soft skin just below it into his hot mouth. His tongue swirled over her skin, releasing a rush of disturbingly carnal sensations as she writhed beneath him.

Luke chuckled as he kissed his way down her neck, devouring every inch of flesh he could reach. She grappled at the back of his charcoal grey t-shirt, desperately seeking the heat of his skin. "You're sure you're not just after my toolbox?" he asked in a throaty voice as he ground against her.

Lorelai slipped her hands up under his shirt, pressing her palms to the muscles of his back as she wriggled back, trying to scoot herself back further onto the stage. "Ah! Splinter!" she gasped.

"Huh? Where?" Luke asked as he reared back.

"Where do you think?" Lorelai muttered she raised her hips and swiped one hand under her bottom.

"Okay, I'm good," she whispered as she held up a sliver of wood. "Thank god for the Teflon dress."

"I woulda gotten that for you," he said with a smirk.

"Next time," she murmured as she pulled him back down again, rising up off of the stage to kiss him ravenously.

"Lorelai," he mumbled against her lips as he tried to pull away.

Luke stared down at her, obviously trying to get his bearings as he blinked down at her in the dim light. "God I want you," she whispered breathlessly.

"How do I know you don't just wanna have fun?" he asked gruffly, unable to stop himself from trailing his fingers along the neckline of her red dress.

"I do, I love having fun. I wanna have fun with you." She reached up to caress his cheek, her thumb stroking his eyebrow gently.

"Yeah?" he asked as he turned his head, pressing his lips to the palm of her hand.

"I think we could have fun together," she whispered. "I think it would be fun, you and me."

"You and me," he repeated as he opened one shiny brass button with a flick of his fingers.

"Don't you think it could be fun?" she asked in a breathy voice as he caressed tantalizing skin he had just unveiled with his lips.

"Lots of fun," he murmured against the curve of her breast as another button popped open.

Lorelai's fingers wrapped around his straining bicep, urging him down onto her. "Touch me."

"I will," he said as he lowered his body to hers, sinking into her soft curves.

Good to his word, he reached down, his fingertips tickling the back of her knee as he pushed the hem of her dress up over her thigh. He flattened his hand to her supple skin, kneading it gently as he pushed her dress higher with each brush of his lips against the curve of her breast. "We're on a stage," he reminded her gently.

"I don't care, I don't care," she answered huskily. "Please, Luke, touch me."

"You looked so good up there," he said as his nimble fingers opened two more buttons, parting her dress almost to her navel. "Tonight. Alone," he clarified. He nuzzled the fabric aside, revealing her lace encased breast. "Beautiful. Free. Happy," he whispered as he covered the lace covered tip with his mouth and sucked greedily.

Lorelai moaned, arching into his mouth. She pulled his shirt up over his back, mewing in frustration when the material stayed trapped between their bodies. "I need to feel you," she gasped.

Luke pressed his hand to the stage lifting himself off of her just enough to allow her to push his shirt up to his armpits. He watched, his lips parted and moist, his eyes drowsy with desire as she opened two more buttons on her dress. "More," he whispered, his fingers pressing into the back of her thigh as he continued to stroke her soft skin. His tongue darted out to wet his lips as she unbuttoned the three remaining brass buttons.

Lorelai watched as he pushed back, his hand trailing reluctantly from her leg as he stood at the edge of the stage looking down at her. She squirmed slightly, unnerved by his steady gaze. As she began to sit up, he pressed one hand to the soft valley between her breasts, urging her back down as his fingers absorbed the staccato beats of her heart.

With deliberate care, he peeled back first one side of the dress and then the other, unveiling her creamy white skin and laying her bare in amidst of a pool of red. Her dark hair fanned out behind her head, and her bright blue eyes stayed fixed on him as she toed off her pumps. His eyes swept from the tips of her toes up over her long legs; pausing only for a heartbeat as they took in the pink cotton panties decorated with purple propellers, they lingered at her swollen red lips for a breath of a second, and then finally met hers.

Lorelai licked her lips and said self-consciously, "Had to wear decent underwear, my mother was in the room."

"Shh," he whispered.

The connection was lost only for a moment, as he hauled his t-shirt up over his head. When their eyes caught and held again, she laughed softly. "You must want me. You know, if you're willing to overlook the dress and the propeller underpants," she babbled nervously.

Luke leaned forward, smoothing his hands over the tops of her thighs as he said, "I want you. I've always wanted you. No matter what you wear."

"Oh God," she whispered as his fingertips slipped teasingly beneath the elastic at her legs. She felt his knuckles brushing against her thighs as he turned his hands, lifting the elastic away from her skin and letting his fingers brush lightly over her folds. She closed her eyes, knowing by his sharp intake of breath that he had discovered just how damp those panties were. Her eyes popped open as the elastic snapped back into place and she saw him bearing down on her.

He kissed her hard and hot, ravishing her mouth as his fingers grappled with the front hook of her bra. She felt the fabric give way as his tongue slid against hers, drawing it into his mouth. He covered her breast with his hand, squeezing her roughly as he pulled back, dazed by the flash of desire that arced between them.

"Please, now," she panted as he pinched her nipple, rolling the beaded tip between his fingers. He ducked his head, drawing the sweet bud into his mouth and suckling greedily. "Now."

He heeded her whispered plea, tugging at his belt impatiently as he clawed at the button on his jeans. Lorelai sat up, pushing the faded denim down over his hips the moment he yanked the zipper down. The clang of his belt buckle rang out as it dangled forgotten from the loops. His fingers grasped for her panties, pulling them forcibly over her bottom as she pushed his boxer briefs down and wrapped her fingers possessively around his stiff cock and then let them trail teasingly from his heated flesh.

"Now," she whispered again, lying back as he dragged her panties down over her thighs.

Bracing one hand beside her on the stage, he pulled her leg up against his hip, caressing the curve of her thigh demandingly as he positioned himself at her entrance.

"Are we having fun yet?" she asked as a strangled groan caught in his throat.

"Yes, yes," he exhaled as she took him in hand once again.

"Lots of fun?" she asked, stroking the tip of his erection against her pulsing flesh, teasing them both beyond all reason.

"Tons," he grunted as he pressed forward, demanding her capitulation.

"So much fun," Lorelai agreed as she released him, allowing him to sink slowly into her.

"Lorelai," he rasped.

"You're very good with the tools," she whispered back.

The low breathy chuckle that bubbled up from his chest was everything she needed. Lorelai smiled as she saw him close his eyes and take a steadying breath. "Fun," she said as she pulled him closer.

"Better than fun," he growled as he pushed deeper into her. "Keep talking."

"What?"

"Keep talking. You're distracting me. I don't wanna embarrass myself," he said gruffly.

Her smile widened as she ran her fingernails up over his back. "Why not? Seems to be a good night for embarrassing yourself." Another laugh seemed to give him the respite he needed, and Lorelai let her fingers trail back down to the curve of his ass. She pressed her palms against him, urging him to move. "I want to see you free and happy."

"I get any happier right now, it will be embarrassing," he grumbled as he began to move slowly.

"You feel good."

"Good doesn't cut it."

"This feels good. You and me," she said with an encouraging smile. "You think?"

"I think," he wholeheartedly concurred as he began to move faster.

"I never thought you'd ask me to keep talking."

"Self preservation," he grunted.

He rose up slightly, thrusting into her from above, and Lorelai gasped. "No, not from me." She raised her hands to his head, pushing her fingers into his soft hair as she kissed him hungrily. "Not from me," she pled as she fell back against the hard wooden stage.

"Lorelai."

She blinked slowly, a smile curving her lips as she panted for air. "I just want you to be Luke," she whispered. His lips moved soundlessly as he hovered over her. "Be free, happy, beautiful," she lobbed his own words back at him in a breathless rush. "Good, so good."

"Lorelai, I… I can't…"

"Yes. Yes, we can. This is good, this is right, this is fun… Oh!" she gasped as he moved faster, pushing into her deeper with each thrust of his hips. "Luke," she whispered in a low, warning voice.

"I can't, I can't… Oh God, Lorelai," he groaned as his climax overwhelmed him.

"Yes, yes, yes," she whispered, pulling him down onto her and holding him close as he pulsed into her. She undulated beneath him riding the crest of his pleasure to her own, pressing blind kisses to his lips, cheek and chin as he continued to grind against her. "Oh yes," she sighed as pleasure flowed from him into her, flooding her senses.

"Oh God," he gasped against her lips, struggling to fill his lungs with precious oxygen.

A laugh slipped from her lips, tickling his and it played warm and moist over his mouth. He reared back slightly, but she held tight, keeping him there where she wanted him. "Fun, huh?" she purred with a feline smile of satisfaction.

"There are probably better words, but fun will have to do," he said, his voice cracking.

Lorelai beamed up at him as he cleared his throat. She rubbed her nose against his, nudging his head back enough to reach his lips again. "Okay?" she asked softly.

Luke chuckled, appreciating the inanity of her question. "Better than that."

"Got any words to back that up?" she challenged.

"Gimme a minute," he grumbled.

Lorelai laughed again and then pressed her lips to his once more. "Take two," she said magnanimously.

"Unbelievable," he managed to whisper thirty seconds later.

"Not a very good word. It could go either way," she pointed out.

"Incredible?"

She rewarded him with an incandescent smile. "Much better."

Luke wet his lips and glanced down meaningfully as he said, "We should, uh…"

"Not yet."

"It's not your ass hanging out there for everyone to see," he grumbled as he shifted slightly, making sure her body was shielded with his.

"And a lovely ass it is," she said as she reached to cover it with her hands. "There, better?"

Luke laughed as he shook his head, and then kissed her tenderly. "Lorelai, we have to get up."

She nodded mutely, capturing her bottom lip between her teeth as he pulled away. Luke pulled the sides of her dress closed, trying ineffectually to cover her as he pushed back. He turned away for a moment he yanked his briefs and jeans back up over his hips, and then shrugged into his t-shirt before turning back to her. Lorelai sat still, gnawing her lip as she held the red dressed closed.

"Hey, don't do that," he said in a low, soft voice as he brushed his thumb over her lip, effectively freeing it from captivity. Lorelai glanced down shyly as she pushed her hair back from her forehead. Luke squatted down in front of her, his hands resting lightly on her knees as he pressed a soft kiss to her abused lip. He tugged on the fabric of the dress, pulling it closed over her knees. "How much is this?" he asked gruffly.

"What? The dress?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I want to buy it," he said as if the answer should have been obvious.

"Buy it?"

"Well, you can't return it now."

"You want to buy this dress for me?"

"Well, I wasn't planning on wearing it," he grumbled.

"Well, neither am I," she said with a laugh.

"Not even for me?" he asked hopefully.

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "You want to buy me this hideous red dress and keep it for me to wear for you?"

"Yeah."

"Is this some strange perversion I should know about? Do you get off on the right wing republican look?"

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "Maybe it's just you in that dress, ever think of that?"

"Me in it?"

Luke smiled and Lorelai could feel the warmth of it radiating off of him in waves. "It's just so not you," he said affectionately.

"So you want me to have it? You are twisted," she said with a laugh.

"How much is it?" he persisted.

"Five hundred dollars," she responded without missing a beat.

"Are you kidding me?"

Lorelai shook her head slowly. "I only wish I was."

"Five hundred dollars for a dress?" he asked, appalled.

"It's from Saks," she said with a shrug, knowing that would mean even less to him.

"I don't care if it's from Mars, who pays five hundred dollars for a dress?"

Lorelai's smile widened at his naiveté. She captured his face between her palms and leaned in to kiss him. "Now, aren't you glad I rescued you from Ava?" she asked as she drew away.

"You rescued me from nothing," he said sternly.

"Don't worry, the dress will be cleaned before it's sent back. They'll never know."

"I will," Luke said as he stood up. He pulled his zipper up and fastened the button on his jeans. "Is it really five hundred or are you just jerking my chain?" he asked as he scooped her panties up off of the floor.

Lorelai stood up, holding the dress closed with one hand as she took his with the other. She led him into the makeshift dressing room. There, she shrugged the dress from her shoulders, knowing the he would catch it as she stepped forward, letting it slide down her arms. She caught the cups of her bra and drew it over her breasts as she turned back to him. "See, now I'm just jerking your chain," she teased as she hooked the clasp and smiled.

He found the price tag tucked into the collar of the dress. Lorelai smirked as his low whistle, confirmed what she had told him. Her smirk faded into a smug smile as his dark blue gaze raked over her body.

Inhaling deeply, Luke draped the dress over his arm as he held out his hand, letting her pink and purple panties dangle from his fingers. "Will they take a check?"

"I imagine so," she said softly as she plucked her panties from his hand.

Luke nodded as he let the dress fall to the floor and pulled her up against him. He ran one hand over the curve of her bottom as he kissed her heatedly. "You're gonna have to wear that a lot. I want my money's worth," he said in a deep husky voice.

Lorelai looked up at him, her underwear trailing over his shoulder. "Your shirt is inside out."

"I don't care."

Lorelai's smile was soft and slow, her hand sliding down to grip his arm as he began to nuzzle her neck. "We'll have to keep it at your place. If Rory ever sees that, I'll never hear the end of it."

"Sold," he said succinctly. He captured her lips once more and kissed her lingeringly. Luke sighed as he pulled away, and then gave her bottom a playful pat. "Get dressed, I'll take you home."


	44. Tangled

**A/N: Okay! Here is the first of three Slips purchased in the auction. Boston4 bid generously on behalf of Pooh, who promptly told me that she wanted the cheating Slip I've had stashed up my sleeve. I know that this will not be everyone's cup of tea, but you have been warned, they are going to go there. **

**Boston4 – I know that you may not be as perverse as Pooh is, so if you decide that you want something a little more upbeat, you just let me know. Special thanks to my beta, Youknowwhoyouare. She is being kept in protective custody to avoid the tar and feathers. Thank you so much for your generous bid!**

**Tangled**

Lorelai didn't know what was wrong with her. She had everything. She had her dream inn, she had her crazy town, she had this house, her house, and she had this man. This man who loved her and wasn't afraid to say it. He loved her and he wasn't afraid to show it. He loved her and he was going to keep on loving her. He told her that. Just like that. _I should be happy, right? _she thought as she paced her bedroom, Paul Anka shadowing her every step.

Her bedroom. It _was_ her bedroom. It would never be his. She knew that. It was never meant to be his, no matter how many new sheet sets she bought. It didn't matter that it was his fancy Omega watch sitting on the dresser; she still saw another watch with a plain band. In her mind, the billfold next to it wasn't buttery smooth Italian leather, uncreased by the breast pocket of a sports jacket. The one she saw was worn around the edges, but still stiff; curved to fit the contours of his body. That wallet wasn't pristine and flat with neatly ordered plastic cards and stiff bills snuggled into a slim compartment; it was stuffed full of notes and receipts and crumpled ones and fives. It held a driver's license mug shot that made her laugh and a single credit card that was so seldom used that the raised numbers still retained their silvery paint. It was her bedroom. And _his_.

She stopped pacing and tried to force the images of another man's things from her mind. The comforting click-click of Paul Anka's toenails came to a halt as she pursed her lips, impatient with herself. She had to sort it all through. She was desperate to find one good reason for her unrest. She was tired of waiting for it all to click in her head.

It made no sense. He stayed there, with her, in that bedroom because he loved her and was going to go on loving her for a long time. And she loved him. She did, honestly. She loved him for being the one who loved her. Still. After all of these years. She loved him for making her laugh again. She never thought she would. She loved him for wanting to be the one who could make her laugh. He always could. She loved him because he wasn't the one who made her cry. He never would be.

_But, he was trying. He was trying so hard. He has to get credit for that, right? _she told herself sternly. She stood in the middle of her bedroom, her head cocked, tuning in to the sound of the television drifting up the stairs.

_So what, if the festival shut down with barely a tea cozy completed? So what, if he had money and the rest of them didn't? He meant well. He wasn't trying to show off. He was just doing what he thought would make me happy; what would make them all happy. _Lorelai wrapped her arms around her middle, squeezing her own elbows until bone rubbed against bone.

_Oh, why did he do that? So what, if they were cold and complaining? So what, if they didn't raise all of the money they needed in the allotted time? Didn't he understand that there would be another crazy fundraiser, another cockamamie excuse to sit outside in the freezing cold and gossip with friends and neighbors? Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut, plant his ass on that stupid flat wallet and try to fit in? Would he ever fit in?_

"Hey Lore?" Christopher called at the top of his lungs. "What are the odds that we could get your friend Pete to make us a pesto, avocado, and grilled chicken pizza with sun-dried tomatoes?"

"Um, slim," she called back weakly.

"Damn, it looks so good," he answered. "I don't suppose you can get Al to do a Salute to France night, can you? I'm craving that _Pot au Feu_ we had at that little bistro in Paris."

"Probably not," Lorelai answered as she sank down onto the edge of the bed.

_I guess if you can find that one person, you know, who's willing to put up with all your crap, and doesn't want to change you or dress you or you know, make you eat French food, then marriage can be all right._

She covered her face with her hands and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. "Oh, God, not the French food," she muttered under her breath.

At her feet, Paul Anka whined softly, and rested his chin on his paws. Lorelai lowered her hands and peered down at him. "I have to get out," she whispered. "You wanna go out?" she asked him as she stood up abruptly, knowing she had to escape that room, these thoughts.

Paul Anka scrambled to his feet, but the comforting click-click-click of his toenails was drowned out by her heavy footfalls as she rumbled down the stairs.

"I'm going to take Paul Anka for a walk. He's been cooped up all day," she announced as she opened the desk drawer to retrieve the leash. She forced a smile as she tucked the leash behind her back. "Haven't you, poor guy?" she cooed as she crept up behind her paranoid pooch and deftly clipped the leash to his collar.

Christopher sat up on the couch and asked, "You want me to come with you?"

Lorelai shook her head as she reached for her jacket. "Nah. We might swing by Sookie's. Get the farming report," she added with a small smile. "Continue with your food fantasies," she told him as she gestured to the cooking show he was watching.

Christopher began flipping through the channels as he sat back. "There's no point. I don't think that even my imagination is good enough to pretend that a bowl of Cap'n Crunch is actually seafood gumbo," he said with a smirk.

"Well, keep working on it, you'll get there," she advised as she headed toward the door. "Back in a little while."

****

He pressed the accelerator harder, watching the needle inch up as he gripped the wheel. He felt good. He felt… right. For the first time in a long time, he felt right again. _I am right, damn it. I have rights. I will fight. I will not let April slip away from me. I've let too much slip away, _he told himself sternly. Luke let up on the pedal, slowing for the turn that would take him home.

His knuckles glowed white in the dim light of the dashboard, and he had to consciously pry his hand from the wheel to downshift. He gripped the gearshift instead, knowing he had to hang onto something. His blood still boiled, heated by the unfocused blue gaze of his newborn niece and enflamed by the arrogant glare Anna had turned on him.

_I'll fight and I'll fight dirty if I have to. Did April say there were two other guys? _Luke desperately tried to make sense of his jumbled memories of that fateful day. _I'll find them. Hell, I'll make them request her diaries. What kind of a grown woman keeps a damn diary, anyway? Dear Diary, Today I fucked three guys. Dear Diary, Oops I'm pregnant. I wonder who the father is? Oh well, doesn't matter, I just won't tell any of them… _His jaw clenched. _I may not have been the best boyfriend in the world, but I sure wasn't fucking around with anything that moved._

Luke turned onto Main and slowed, coasting to a stop in front of the diner; his hand still wrapped around the wheel in a death grip. _I will not let this happen. I will fight. I will fight. _

He couldn't shake the image of Doula's bright blue eyes, wide open for a few moments, seemingly fixed on him. _Blue eyes. Like mine. Like Lorelai's. Blue eyes. My own daughter doesn't have blue eyes. How is that possible? Must be some weird recessive gene on Anna's side. Or is it dominant? I'll have to ask April. April. The girl with the brown eyes, not the woman with the blue eyes. Lorelai. Lorelai is married to… him._

Luke jerked on the door handle, throwing himself from the torturous confines of the truck as he struggled to pull fresh oxygen into his lungs. He slammed the door behind him, pressing both palms to the top of the frame as he forced himself to breathe in and then breathe out. _She married him. Him, not me. Always him._

His heart felt heavy, thudding dully in his chest as he pushed away from the truck and trudged around the front to the sidewalk. It almost took all the strength he had left to lift one booted foot onto the curb. He used the rest to pull the other up behind him. The knowledge of it was crushing, the reality of it almost physically debilitating. It was all he could do to force himself out of bed each day, to fake a smile for April, to move from counter to kitchen to table knowing that it was over. Over in a way that he had never truly accepted before.

_But I love you, Luke. I love you. But I have waited, and I have stayed away, and I have let you run this thing, and no more. I asked you to marry me, and you said yes._

Blue eyes; bright with tears, pleading with him, begging him to give her what he was too scared to give, too scared to fight for. Instead, he let her walk away. He let her go without a fight, frightened that the best that he had to give wouldn't be good enough for her, and stupid enough to believe that they'd work it all out as soon as he could get his mind wrapped around it. But he had been wrong.

_One foot in front of the other_, he reminded himself tiredly. Plodding steps scuffed across the sidewalk. His keys dangled from lifeless fingers as he raised one foot and then the other, taking the steps like an old man. The bells rang out, echoing hollowly in the darkened diner. Using the dregs of his energy, he closed the door behind him with a flick of his wrist, and stood frozen, surrounded by the silence that greeted him.

Moments and memories crowded the diner, backlit by the glow of the single light left lit behind the counter, pressing on his chest until he thought his knees would buckle under him.

_Angel. You've got wings, baby. _

_No. I'm no angel. I'm an idiot. _

_I lost my head over a good chop. _

_I must have lost my mind. What was I thinking? How could I ever think I could hold onto her?_

_Well, it was either that or the broiler manual, and the oven won, 'cause it's shiny and pretty. _

_Oh God, those eyes. Those eyes._

_Wondering what you see in me? Wait until you see me in the boots._

Luke bowed his head and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, desperate to purge the flashes of Lorelai from his brain, but all he could see were bright blue eyes.

Bright blue eyes, only minutes old, staring up at him unseeingly in confusion and wonder. They mocked him, taunting him, reminding him of bright blue eyes dancing with delight as her smile lit the room. Bright blue eyes staring up at him, stated with pleasure and drowsy with love and affection as he cradled her to his chest. Bright blue eyes filled with tears, soaked in remorse, dropping to the ground under the weight of her shame as his world came crashing down around him. Bright blue eyes, blazing with hurt, flickering with cautious hope and finally, flattened by acceptance as he let her walk away again, clutching a container of ice cream.

He thought he'd never see them again, but he did. And now, he saw them all the time. Blue eyes, not nearly as bright, staring at him from that hospital doorway. Blue eyes filled with caution and worry and dulled by the gleam of a wide gold wedding band.

But the worst of it was that he knew deep down, past the pain and uncertainty, past anger and indignation that he had held onto her. He had held her as tightly as she had held him. She was his. His to have and to hold. And he had let her go.

****

She liked to tell herself that it was a sort of an endurance test. She pretended to let Paul Anka lead the way, but she knew where he would go. It always came back to him. She turned a corner, letting him pull her along the deserted sidewalk, knowing he would stop soon, he always did.

Lorelai accepted this perverse test of strength as her penance to be paid. And pay she did, at least three times a week. On the other nights, the nights when Christopher joined them on their pre-bedtime jaunt, she carefully steered Paul Anka away from the square. She forced him to meander aimlessly down residential streets, avoiding the one place that drew them both like a magnet. She told herself that Paul Anka chose this path because he felt a visceral connection to the one person in his life who knew exactly what rare-plus really meant, and hardly ever dared to serve him hamburger cooked to medium-rare. She had a harder time justifying her own willingness to fall into step.

The only thing she knew was that she needed it. She needed these few minutes spent staring into the darkened diner, letting her mind wander up the creaking wooden steps, through the frosted glass door, and into the cozy familiarity of the world where she once belonged. The irony didn't escape her. She couldn't breathe in her own bedroom; but here, staring up at her ex-fiancé's windows, she felt stronger.

In a weird way, standing there on the sidewalk in front of the diner kept her grounded. So much had changed, so many things had turned out differently than she imagined. Oh, she had imagined herself married to Christopher, but it was always in that abstract, Jackson Pollack sort of way. Not at all the way she had imagined being married to Luke. That she could see clearly. Just as she could envision him at that very moment sitting in that worn chair, a bottle of beer on his knee and the late news on the television. But the changes, this life she was living; well, they weren't enough and they were all too much. She had to hold onto something. At least for a little while. At least, until she could stand to face it. So, on those precious few nights a week, she stood on the sidewalk and faced the diner, hoping that one day she'd be able to move past it.

She stumbled, almost running over Paul Anka as he sat in his usual spot near the lamp post. Lorelai automatically glanced up, expecting to see the dim glow of lamplight and the flicker of the television screen playing through the cracks in the flowered curtains. Blinking rapidly, she noted blank darkness of the windows and took an involuntary step back as her gaze fell to the dimly lit diner below.

There, just inside the door, Luke stood still; his back to her and his shoulders hunched as he cradled his head in his hands. Still reeling from the shock of seeing him, Lorelai began to move without thinking. She wrapped Paul Anka's leash around the lamp post and then gave his head a distracted pat as he stretched out on the sidewalk before she stepped over him, driven by her need to get to Luke.

The sound of the bells startled them both. Lorelai stopped in the doorway, her hand clutching the door handle as Luke lowered his hands and whirled to face her.

"Are you okay?" she asked breathlessly.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice rough with emotion.

"I saw you. I was walking Paul Anka. Are you okay? Is April okay?" she asked as she stepped into the diner.

"I'm fine. April's fine," he answered, not daring to look into her eyes.

"You don't look fine," Lorelai insisted as she let the door swing closed behind her.

Luke crossed his arms over his chest, lowered his chin and stared at her coolly. "What do you care?" he asked, cringing inwardly as he heard the bitterness seeping into his voice.

"Of course I care. Just like I cared when April was sick," she retorted defensively.

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Go home, Lorelai. You can make sure your husband is okay," he growled.

Lorelai flinched. "Fine," she snapped as she turned and fumbled for the door handle.

The bells rang out, bouncing off of the walls of the empty diner, cutting straight through him to his gut as she walked away again. _Three strikes._ The thought popped into his head unbidden, and being the guy that he was, he knew he couldn't let her walk away again without at least going down swinging.

"Liz had her baby today," he blurted as she crossed the threshold.

Lorelai stopped, turning to look back at him as she breathed, "Oh God, is she okay?"

"Oh! Yeah, yeah, she's fine. Great," Luke answered quickly. "The baby's fine too," he added, knowing where she was heading next.

"Okay, good," she said cautiously.

"Well, except for the fact that they named her Doula." When she turned slowly back toward him, a puzzled frown creasing her brow, he smiled and shook his head. "She's a girl. Doula."

"I see. Well, congratulations, you're an uncle," Lorelai said, cautiously returning his smile.

"She's beautiful. I was there. I mean, I wasn't in there when she, you know, had her, but I was there," he told her. "I held her."

"Cool," she said, her smile warming.

"It was," he agreed. "I mean, she was only about thirty minutes old. And tiny, so tiny."

"Yeah, well they don't feel so tiny coming out," Lorelai said as she stepped back into the diner.

"I bet," he said, chuckling softly as he pulled a chair from the nearest table and dropped down into it, his knees splaying wide as he dragged one hand over his face.

"So, it was a good day," Lorelai said as she closed the door behind her again.

Luke winced as he lowered his hand. "Well, that was good."

"Was there something bad?"

"Anna wants to move to New Mexico. Her mom isn't doing well, and she wants to be closer to her."

"Oh."

"And, I get that, I totally do," he said quickly.

"Yeah, but April," she said softly, driving straight to the heart of the matter.

Luke let his head fall forward as he nodded, pressing his lips together tightly as he tried to tamp down the bile that rose in his throat.

"Are you going to arrange visitation?"

Luke snorted softly, his nostrils flaring as his head jerked up. "I thought so."

Lorelai frowned in confusion as she stepped closer. "Thought so? You're not?"

"Anna doesn't want that," he said flatly.

"But…" she sputtered.

"She says she doesn't want to do that to April."

"Do what to April?"

"Shuttle her back and forth."

"Is there an alternative?"

"I told her I'd come out there, but she doesn't want that either," he said, pushing himself out of the chair.

Lorelai bit her lip, trying desperately to think of the right thing to say as she watched him pace the worn linoleum floor. "Surely you guys can work something out."

"You'd think, right? I mean, that's what I thought!" he said, the anger bubbling up inside of him again.

"Well, you can fight it," she said stubbornly. "She can't just do this."

"Oh, I'm gonna fight it."

"Good, you should."

"Damn right I should," he said, more to himself than to her. "I'm not going to let her do this to me. I'm not going to let anyone do this to me, not again."

"Right," she said softly.

He turned to face her, defeat etched into his every feature. "I stood there, Lorelai. I stood there holding this tiny baby in my hands, and all I could think was that I missed that. I missed having that, and I'll never get it back."

His voice broke, and the protective shell that encased her heart cracked. "Luke," she murmured as she took a step closer to him, tentatively reaching out to touch his arm.

His head jerked up as he stepped back, evading the hand that reach out to him as he looked straight into bright blue eyes filled with empathy. "I'll never have that," he said flatly.

Lorelai lowered her hand to her side. "You might. You still can," she said reassuringly, each word knotting her stomach.

"I won't," he answered firmly, still looking into her eyes.

"Oh, Luke."

His jaw tightened at the pity he saw in her eyes. "Why, Lorelai? Why him?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

"That's not good enough," he spat. "I think I deserve to know why."

"You know why!" she cried.

"No, I don't! I don't know why! All I know is that one minute you're standing in the street telling me that you love me and begging me to run away with you, and the next, you're fucking him!" he exploded.

"It wasn't like that!"

"No? What did I miss, Lorelai?" he asked snidely.

"You missed the part where you said no!"

"I never said no!"

"You said never!"

"I did not."

"No, you didn't say anything at all, did you?" she screamed, her eyes blazing. "You're good at that, not saying anything. Well, damn it, I need you to say something!"

"So, because I didn't say whatever it was that you wanted me to say, that made it okay?"

"No, that made it over," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It wasn't over. I didn't know it was over!"

"You let me go," she said flatly.

"I didn't know it was forever," he said, his voice hoarse with regret.

"And if you had, what would you have done differently?" she asked, lifting her chin defensively. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. When he clamped his jaw shut, Lorelai drew in a deep shuddering breath and softly said, "That's what I thought."

"No," he protested.

"What were you scared of, Luke?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know," he answered her as honestly as he could.

"That's not good enough," she tossed his words back at him. "I think I deserve to know."

"I wanted it to be perfect."

"Perfect?" she asked, cocking her head as her brow furrowed.

"You had the perfect church, the dress, the duck sausage. Rory was back and everything was right in your world, but my world had just been turned upside down," he explained desperately.

"And you hid it from me."

"And I hid it from you," he confirmed. "But I waited for you, Lorelai! I waited!"

"I know you did, I waited too!"

"Not long enough!"

"I waited as long as you did. And I never pulled away from you, never! How long was I supposed to wait for you to remember me?"

"I never forgot you! You've gotta understand, I was so screwed up, Lorelai. How could I have a kid and never know? How could someone be walking around out there, a part of me, and I had no clue?"

"I get that, Luke. But it doesn't change what you did."

"What _I _did?" he questioned, jabbing a finger into his chest.

"Yes, what you did. You pushed me away. You kept me out of your life, April's life, your life together."

"I wanted some time to get to know my kid!"

"Right, I understand that, but Luke I could have been a part of that."

"You were a part of it!"

"No, I wasn't."

"The party…"

"You only called me when you were desperate, and, after it was over, when Anna got upset with you, I got pushed aside again!" she shouted back. When he stared back at her wide-eyed, she nodded and said, "I'm right. You know I'm right."

"But I didn't mean… I didn't want…" he sputtered.

"Luke, you left me long before that night," she said, her voice low and deadly calm. "Whether you meant to or not."

"No, Lorelai, no," he said, shaking his head in vehement denial.

"It felt like you did," she whispered. She ducked her head, turning away as her voice cracked under the stress of long suppressed pain.

"I love you," he said desperately.

Lorelai looked up, tears brimming in her bright blue eyes as she said softly, "That's the part that really hurts."

When she turned away, Luke reached out, wrapping his fingers tightly around her upper arm. "Don't go. Please don't go."

"I have to," she whispered, not daring to turn back to him.

"Why did you marry him?"

"What do you care?" she snapped.

"You know I care."

"No. No, I don't. You're not hung up, here. No big deal, right? You're not affected by any of it."

"You know that's not true."

Lorelai stiffened. "I know that _you_ didn't want to marry me. That's what I know is true."

Luke sighed heavily, visibly deflating as he worked up the nerve to ask what he needed to know. "Do you love him?"

"Oh, Luke," she said tiredly as she hung her head.

"I have to know."

Lorelai squeezed her eyes shut as she took a deep breath. She turned her head slightly and said simply, "He can be very easy to love."

"But do _you_ love him," he persisted.

Turning back to face him, she asked, "What answer do you want me to give you?"

"The truth."

"The truth," she said softly. "I love him. I love him for loving me. I love him for wanting me. I love him because he's not you."

"And me?" he dared to ask. "How do you feel about me?"

"What does it matter?" she cried in frustration.

"It matters."

"I just… love you."

"Leave him," he said, his voice softly pleading.

"What?" she gasped, glancing down as his fingers tightened on her arm.

"Marry me, Lorelai, just like we planned."

"I'm not leaving him," she said stubbornly.

"But you love me," he argued.

"It's not that easy."

"Yes, it is!"

"No, Luke, it's not!"

"You love me," he repeated stubbornly.

"I love him too," she retorted, lifting her chin in defiance.

"Not like that. Not enough to make it work."

Lorelai's breath caught as the truth of his words struck home. "You don't know that," she whispered.

"I do! I know that better than anyone! You don't work with him any better than I worked with Nicole."

"We don't work together," she pointed out.

"We do. You know we do," he cajoled.

"I can't just leave him."

"Yes, you can."

"I won't."

"So, you can just forget it? You can do this, go on like this?" he asked, incredulous.

"I don't have a choice."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't." She stepped back, her eyes lock on his as she pulled her arm from his grasp. "I slept with him that night, Luke."

"I know."

"You know," she said, her voice softly mocking him. "Do you know that I slept with him that night with your ring was still on my finger."

"Stop."

She saw him flinch, and for a moment, it felt good. "I slept with him, Luke. I chose to do it."

"Stop it," he ground out, his fist clenching at his side.

Lorelai glanced down at that tightly balled fist, but instead of feeling fear, she finally felt free to tell him the whole truth. "I slept with him knowing that you'd never forgive me for that. I slept with him because I needed this to be over. Forever."

The muscle in his jaw worked furiously as he absorbed the blows. "It didn't work. It's not over," he said mulishly.

"Yes, it is."

"No."

"I married him."

"You don't love him, not like you love me," he answered, his voice growing more confident, more stubborn.

"I'll get over it. We both will."

"No. I'll never get over it," he insisted as he closed the distance between them. "I don't think you will either."

"I'm going to try."

He stared down at her, losing himself in bright blue eyes shining with determination. "I'll fight you, Lorelai," he said as he lifted one hand to her smooth cheek. "I'll fight for you," he promised in a husky whisper. "I won't let you go again, I swear."

Lorelai closed her eyes, marshalling all of her strength to keep from leaning into his caress. "Don't. Please don't."

"I have to. You're all I've ever wanted."

"I can't do this again," she said in a breathy whisper.

"I have to do this again," he answered. Luke wrapped his arm around her waist and still cupping her cheek in his other hand, lowered his lips to hers.

A soft moan; a mix of pleasure and pain. A brief caress; the familiar feel of his mouth against hers. A silent plea; her lips parting beneath his, needing more, wanting to believe it was really happening.

When he pulled away, she kept her eyes shut, pressing her cheek to his palm, wordlessly asking for more of his touch. "This is the way it's supposed to be, Lorelai. You and me. I want to be with you. I want to cook your crazy breakfasts and come home to you at the end of the day. I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want to hold our baby in my hands," he said in a low, mesmerizing voice.

A strangled groan escaped her lips, and he gently kissed it away. Her fingers curled into the sleeves of his shirt as his lips feathered over hers, drawing in each shallow breath she expelled. "I love you, Lorelai. I'll fight until the day I die," he promised.

"Why did you let me go?" she asked, her voice aching as she slowly opened her eyes.

"I didn't know that there'd be nothing left of me without you," he answered softly.

"That's not true."

His fingertips played over her cheek, tracing the line of her jaw as she did not pull away. "I meant what I said that day. It means nothing unless you're there and I'm sharing it with you," he said gruffly.

"It's too late," she protested weakly.

"It's not. It's not too late."

Lorelai looked into his eyes, her bright blue eyes plumbing the indigo depths for the answers she needed. "It's not too late?" she asked, clearly puzzled.

"It never will be," he told her, holding her gaze unflinchingly.

"God, I hate you," she whispered.

A tiny smile quirked his lips as he nodded slightly. "I hate you too."

Lorelai shook her head as she stared back at him. "No, I mean it, I really hate you," she said as she used both hands to push the ugly black cap from his head. Grasping fistfuls of his fine, soft hair, she pulled him down again and kissed him heatedly.

Luke responded immediately, his tongue sweeping into her mouth and claiming hers. He pressed against her, molding her soft curves to him as his hand roamed frantically over her body.

"Nuh," she grunted as she tore her mouth from his and lowered her hands. His lips were warm and soft as they traveled down the length of her neck. His tongue swirled hot and wet over her skin as she grappled with the tails of his shirts, yanking hard to dislodge his t-shirt from his jeans.

"Tell me again," he rasped against her ear.

"I hate you. I hate you so much," she panted as she pressed her hands to the quivering muscles of his stomach.

"Not nearly as much as I hate you," he countered, and then drew her skin into his mouth, sucking deeply.

"This is crazy," she whispered as she pushed his shirts up over his chest, smoothing her hands over his warm flesh.

"This is right," he said as one hand trailed down to cup her breast.

Her hands fell to his belt, her nimble fingers freeing the tab from the buckle as a bitter laugh escaped her lips. "No, this is wrong. So wrong on so many levels," she added as her fingers traced the outline of his erection through the rough denim.

His thumb brushed her nipple and he felt it tighten instantly. "Doesn't feel wrong." He covered beaded tip with his palm, squeezing her roughly, as he dove in for another kiss. Their tongues tangled as she drew his zipper down, Luke moaned into her mouth as her fingers encircled him, stroking him through the thin cotton of his boxer briefs.

"I love you, Lorelai," he rasped as he drew back.

"Not fair."

"I'll fight dirty if I have to," he told her bluntly.

"I think you already are," she said as she raked one fingernail over the snug cotton.

"You could walk away. You can leave me here like this, but I _will_ come after you this time."

"I don't want to walk away from you. I never wanted that."

"I want you. I want all of you."

"Oh, you do fight dirty," she said softly.

"Tell me, Lorelai," he demanded.

"Show me, Luke," she said, softly challenging his resolve.

A flurry of hot, hungry kisses broke only long enough for his hands to work her top over her head, and for hers to pull his shirts up over his shoulders. Their tongues tangled as they communicated their needs with a series of short grunts and soft whimpers. She pushed his jeans from his hips, he cleared a table with the swoop of one arm, sending chairs and salt shakers careening to the floor. His mouth trailed over her throat, nipping and sucking the delicate skin into his mouth as he lifted one breast from its lacy confines.

Lorelai gasped when he pushed her back onto the table, the cold surface making her shiver as his mouth closed over her breast, drawing her into his heat. She arched up into him, holding him there as he suckled harder, his fingers tearing at the button on her jeans. She cried out when he raised his head, the cool air rushing over her damp skin. She moaned as he tugged on her jeans, yanking them down over her hips and dragging her panties with them.

When they fell to the floor, he pressed his mouth to her stomach, caressing the soft curve of it with both hands as he worked steadily lower. "I need you," he said as he looked up at her sprawled across the table.

"I want you," she answered, running her fingers through his hair.

He pressed one finger to her sex, gently parting her folds, and then groaning loudly as she parted her legs further. Luke inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of her arousal as he dragged that intrepid finger through her damp folds.

"Need, Lorelai," he whispered as he looked down at the slick juices that now covered the tip of his finger.

"Need," she conceded at last.

Luke ducked his head, letting his tongue trail lightly over the same path his finger had forged, and then giving in to his own need as she bowed against him. He pressed his face into her folds, raking his tongue over the wet, heated flesh, drawing her clit into his mouth and suckling the tiny bud ravenously. Lorelai cried out, her voice bouncing off the walls as he lifted her hips from the table and began to devour her.

"Please," she rasped.

"Tell me," he ordered, his voice rough and deep, the sound of it vibrating to the very core of her.

"I love you," she whispered.

Luke rose up, pulling her hips to the edge of the table before pushing his boxer briefs down over his hips. The moment his erection sprang free, she reached for him, closing her soft hand around his hard length and stroking him gently.

He gazed down at her hand and then back up into bright blue eyes hazy with need. His breathing became more ragged with each caress, his cock growing even harder in her hand as she smoothed her thumb over the very tip of him.

"Want, need, love," he panted low and gravelly.

"Yes," Lorelai said softly as she guided him to her entrance.

"Hate," he exhaled as he felt her hot and wet against him.

"I hate you so much," she answered, her eyes locked on his.

"Good," he grunted as he pushed into her, filling her hard and hot, not giving her a moment to react or retract.

"Oh, yes," she agreed. She closed her eyes and rolled her head against the hard formica table as he began to move steadily inside of her.

"Look at me," he asked, his voice a harsh and imploring. Her eyelids fluttered as her internal battle raged, but her eyes stayed closed. "Please, Lorelai."

Unable to resist the longing she heard in his voice, she slowly opened her eyes and stared back at him with heavily lidded eyes flaming bright blue with hunger. She watched him, seeing her own need reflected back in the depths of his dark eyes as he stroked her higher and higher. She heard the strangled groan that caught in his chest, rumbling deep and sonorous as he moved faster, driving her up as only he knew how.

"Love me," he rasped, half-plea and half-command.

Lorelai arched up off of the table, her fingernails biting into the solid muscle of his shoulders as she felt the last thread of her control unraveling. She clung to him, lifting her back from the table as she held him close to her, pressing down onto him with each thrust until she whispered his name into his ear, low and urgent.

"Yes, Lorelai," he whispered desperately. He pushed into her harder, the table scooting with each powerful stroke.

"Luke," she whispered in a dazed voice as she let go, hanging onto him as she floated away, carried away on rolling waves of satisfaction. She hummed low in soft in her throat as she felt him pulsing into her, and let her head fall back moaning her satisfaction as she held him deep inside of her.

"I'll fight, Lorelai," he whispered raggedly as he brushed kisses to her hair, her ear, her jaw. "I'll fight."

Lorelai pulled back to look at him. She raised one hand to smooth the deep furrows in his brow with the tips of her fingers, and then let them trail over his cheekbone and finally, his stubbled jaw.

"I will never hate anyone the way that I hate you," she whispered as she gazed into his eyes.

"Love, Lorelai. It's love," he corrected solemnly.

"Same thing," she said with a helpless shrug.

Luke chuckled as he stood up, pulling her from the table and pressing her to the length of his body as he buried his nose in her fragrant hair. "You might be right," he admitted gruffly.

They stood quietly wrapped up in each other, and cocooned in the safety of the darkened diner; hands smoothing over each other's skin, fingertips chasing the dregs of pain away. Luke sighed as he lifted his head, and then stilled as he caught a glimpse of something on the sidewalk. He frowned and instinctively turned Lorelai to place his body between hers and the door.

"We should get dressed. The blinds were open," he said as he released her.

"Oh."

Luke glanced back over his shoulder as he hiked his briefs and jeans up over his ass. "Is that your dog out there?" he asked as he bent to retrieve his flannel.

"Um, yeah. We were taking a walk."

"You mean he's just been out there the whole time watching us?" he asked as he pulled his t-shirt free and then tugged the flannel down over her head.

"It's not the first time he's seen us, Luke," she pointed out as she pushed her hands through the tangled sleeves.

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me," he grumbled as he tossed his t-shirt onto the table and scrounged around on the floor for her clothes.

Lorelai smiled and adjusted the cup of her bra as she watched him scurry around. "We had a real Sam and Diane moment there. Maybe later we can add in a slap fight and some nose pinching."

"Huh?" he asked as he stood up, clutching her jeans and top to his bare stomach.

"The 'I hate you. You disgust me. Are you as turned on as I am?' thing from _Cheers_? Sam and Diane?" she reminded him.

"Is that what you think this was?" he asked, his jaw dropping.

"Was it?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and forcing herself not to bury her nose in the collar of his shirt.

"No!" he said as he tossed her clothes onto the table and threw his hands up in disgust. "You know, the slapping thing isn't sounding half bad right now," he grumbled as he planted those hands on his hips and hung his head as he shook it.

"You don't wanna hit me," she said softly.

"No, but I will if that'll knock some sense into ya," he muttered.

"You'd never hit me."

"Doesn't mean I don't want to," he said as he looked up at her from under his lashes.

"You love me," she said softly, making the three words neither a question nor a statement of fact.

"Yes."

"I love you," Lorelai said in that same soft tone.

"Yes," he answered for her.

Lorelai laughed as she shook her head and looked up at the dancing pork chop that still hung high on the wall. She unwound her arms and threw them wide as she shrugged. "This is a fine mess we've gotten ourselves into."

"Laurel and Hardy," Luke said quickly.

"Yes, kinda. I don't think that quote is right, though," she said with a frown of consternation.

"Commere," he said as he grabbed one hand and pulled her into his arms once more.

Lorelai stepped into his embrace, pressing her nose into his neck and taking her fill of his familiar scent as he ran his hand soothingly over her tousled hair. His lips grazed her dark curls as he whispered, "We'll figure it out. We'll fix it."

Another movement outside the door caught his eye and Luke lifted his head, looking straight ahead at the spot where Paul Anka sat up wagging his tail. He continued to stroke Lorelai's soft hair, his eyes riveted to the sidewalk outside of the diner as Lorelai burrowed into him.

She brushed her lips against his neck as she ran her hands over his smooth back, purring softly as she felt his muscles ripple beneath his skin. "I love you, Luke," she whispered, her breath tickling his ear.

"I love you too, Lorelai," he said quietly. He pushed his fingers into her lush, dark hair, letting it filter through his fingers as he stared unblinkingly back at Christopher as the other man stood rooted to the sidewalk.

"Any chance of getting coffee?" she asked the words muffled against his skin.

"Junkie," he said as he tipped her chin up and kissed her softly.

"Angel," she answered as she nuzzled the crook of his neck, holding him tightly.

"I'm no angel," he said gruffly and then pressed his cheek to her hair, watching as Christopher turned and walked away.


	45. Lorelai and Luke's First Night in Bed

**A/N: Proving that such pesky details as marital status mean nothing in the Gilmore fan fiction world, Jewels selected an episode from season four for her auction story. Yes, Luke is married here, so you can turn back now if you choose. Although this story starts out in Ballrooms and Biscotti, for the purposes of Slip we're counting it as The Lorelai's First Day at Yale, since that's where all the action takes place. **

**Thank you Jewels, for your generous donation to Support Stacie, for the incredible prompt, your unflagging support, and, of course, for the reviews that make an author's heart go thumpity-thump. Oh, and get comfy. You also own the second longest Slip ever. I thought I'd never get them nekkid! I hope that you like it!**

**Lorelai and Luke's First Night in Bed**

"Actually, there's a little more." Luke said as he held up one finger to stop her.

Lorelai felt an acute stab of intense jealousy twisting like a knife in her stomach. She squelched it, just as she had been squelching it since the night Nicole came to the diner to meet Luke for their first date. She looked up at him in shock as it all clicked into place. "And she's pregnant. Oh my God, you finally reproduced."

"We're getting divorced," Luke announced.

Taking a quick step back, she murmured, "I'm gonna sit down now."

Luke followed her over to the porch steps. "It just all happened so fast," he tried to explain.

"Well, yeah," she muttered as she slowly lowered herself onto the steps.

Luke sat down next to her, wringing his hands as he glanced over at her sheepishly. "I mean, you're on this boat in the middle of nowhere and everything's moving and you feel weird all the time. There's this endless supply of food and drink. Uh, midnight buffets, by the way, are the reason the rest of the world hates us," he added. "And everyone around us was either in love, engaged, or celebrating their hundredth wedding anniversary, and we were having a good time… and there you go."

"There you go," she repeated in a daze.

"Of course, the next morning we both woke up and realized we'd lost our minds. We tried to ignore it for awhile, you know, went snorkeling, but by the time we hit land, we were separated, and now we're getting divorced."

Lorelai pressed one hand to her head. "Okay, well, my jet lag and your love life are making me dizzy. Is there more?" she asked cautiously.

"Nope, that's it."

Lorelai sighed as she looked over at him, wishing she could just reach over and smooth the lines of worry and regret from his face. "I'm sorry."

"Ah, it's okay," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Well, look on the bright side. I mean, now that you've been married, it'll silence all those questions," she said with a small shrug.

Luke scowled as he looked over at her. "What questions?"

"You know, a single man of a certain age who lives alone..."

"You're kidding," he muttered with an insulted snort of disbelief.

Lorelai held up her hands. "Hey, I always defended you. I always said, 'Hey, so what if he is?'"

"Thank you for your support," he said dryly.

They fell silent as Lorelai leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her knees, trying to force her brain to absorb it all. Luke had gotten married. To Nicole. There was snorkeling. He had luggage, _real _luggage. How could this have happened? How could he do this?

She tore her gaze from the toes of her shoes and turned to look at him, cataloging his familiar features as if she'd never seen them before. Scruffy beard? Check. Blue ballcap? Check. Teeny, tiny muscle jumping in his jaw? Check. She was so engrossed in making sure that he was really Luke, that she didn't really notice that he turned to meet her stare. Blue eyes? Check. Impossibly long eyelashes that practically begged for a swipe of Great Lash? Check, check. Soft pink lips that almost dared a girl to wipe the scowl off of them? Check.

She found herself leaning in slightly, and then suddenly, Luke leaned away from her. "What?" he asked in a bewildered tone.

Lorelai snapped out of her daze and shook her head quickly as she turned to stare at the garbage bags heaped in the back of the truck. "I can't believe Rory leaves tomorrow," she said, quickly covering for her momentary lapse.

Luke nodded as he turned to look at the truck too. "Hey, do you even know how to drive a standard?" he asked abruptly.

"Uh, sure," Lorelai said unconvincingly.

"Lorelai," he growled in a warning tone.

"Well, it's been a while, but it's not like that's something you forget, right? Like riding a bike," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. She stood up and hurried back to the truck, rearranging one of the plastic bags more to her liking.

Luke eyed her skeptically as he followed her. "It's not like riding a bike at all. How long has it been since you drove one?"

"How old is Rory?" she asked flippantly.

"Okay, yeah, you're not taking my truck anywhere," he told her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Luke, we need it," she argued.

"And I need my transmission just where it is. I don't want to find it somewhere on Peach Street," he said stubbornly.

Lorelai huffed as she stomped toward the driver's door. She stopped and glared at him over the piles of garbage bags heaped in the bed of the truck. "Well, come on," she said as she wrenched the door open.

"Come on where?"

"I'm going to show you."

Lorelai climbed up into the cab and eyed the pedals and gear shift dubiously. When the passenger door opened, she quickly sat back and pushed what she hoped was the clutch to the floor. With her other foot on the brake, she jiggled the gear shift to be sure it was in neutral before reaching for the keys that dangled from the ignition. The truck roared to life, and Lorelai shot Luke a triumphant smile as he pulled his door shut.

"Door," he grunted.

"I've got it," she said as she rolled her eyes and reached for the driver's door.

Pleased with herself, she grabbed the gear shift and pushed it all the way to the right before pulling it back into gear, biting her lip as she sent up a silent prayer that she had found reverse.

"That's fourth," Luke said as he reached over. His fingers curled around hers as he moved the gearshift back into neutral, then over to the far left and up. "That's reverse."

"Got it," she said as she let up on the clutch, and the truck began to creep backwards. Lorelai flushed with pleasure as she cranked the wheel, turning so that they could head straight down the driveway.

"Jeep," Luke grunted as he twisted in his seat to peer out the back window.

"I see it," Lorelai said calmly. Her heart pounded as she pushed the clutch and the brake in a panic, halting the truck just before she crumpled her unseen Jeep's rear bumper.

Luke smirked as he turned around in his seat, knowing that she hadn't seen the Jeep there at all. Lorelai pressed the clutch to the floor as she cranked the wheel. With a small grunt of exertion, she managed to yank the stick out of reverse and then jiggled it around, taking a wild stab at where first gear might be.

When it slid into a notch, she glanced at Luke, who simply shook his head. "Reverse."

Lorelai frowned in concentration as she pulled the stick back, slid it a little to the right and pushed forward again. At Luke's slight nod, she let up on the clutch and gave it a little gas. Miraculously, the truck began to creep forward. They made it to the end of the drive, and Lorelai took a right.

Once they picked up a little speed, Luke said, "Straight back."

Lorelai smiled as she pushed in the clutch and slid the truck into second gear. "See? Told you I could drive a standard."

"Yeah, you've got the under forty zones covered," he said with a wry smile.

"If you're worried, you could come with us tomorrow. We could use a strong fella like you to fetch and carry for us," she said flirtatiously.

"I don't know… tomorrow. I don't know if I can," Luke mumbled as she slowed to a stop sign.

Lorelai clutched the steering wheel tightly, her lips thinning to a straight line as she stared through the bug splattered windshield. "Yes, it is twelve hours away, so I can see how you can't commit this far out. Of course, you've just told me that you are a guy who _can_ commit. With gusto."

"Stop," he said softly.

"You're so committed to commitment you should be committed," she continued, punctuating her barbs with a staccato laugh.

"Lorelai, it's not funny," he said, anger inching its way into his voice.

"No, marriage is not funny. It's very serious business. Very solemn. Not to be entered into lightly or unadvisedly," she intoned. "Tell me, after you were pronounced husband and wife, did you two crazy kids head on down to the Lido deck for the big limbo contest?" she asked as she shifted into first once more.

"Okay, that's it," he said as he reached for the door handle.

"Where are you going?" Lorelai asked, accidentally letting up on the clutch too quickly, and the big truck lurched as she killed the engine.

"I don't have to listen to this," he said as he pushed the door open with his foot.

"Aw, come on, Luke, you have to laugh," she cajoled.

Luke glared at her as he stood framed in the open door. "No, I don't. I don't have to laugh because it isn't funny. I screwed up, Lorelai. I screwed up my whole life in less than ten minutes. Now I have to get a divorce," he ranted. "I don't want to be divorced. I didn't even want to be married. Not to Nicole. But there you go. And now I've screwed up again and told you. I should have known better," he said as he stepped back and slammed the door forcefully.

Lorelai cranked the window down as he crossed in front of the truck and began to walk toward the square. "Luke, come back! Luke, I'm sorry, okay? I just, I was shocked," she called after him.

"Have the truck back by four," he answered without turning around.

Lorelai pushed open the driver's door and hopped down from the truck, abandoning it at the stop sign as she ran after him. Grabbing his arm, she pulled with all her weight, forcing him to stop and turn toward her. When he fixed her with an impatient glare, she sighed and said, "Luke, I am sorry."

He nodded once. "Thanks."

"You'll fix this, and everything will be okay. You'll see," she assured him.

"I'll be divorced."

"Lots of people get divorced, no big deal."

"It's a big deal to me," he said, jabbing his finger into his chest.

"What about an annulment? Isn't that the one where they say it never happened?" she asked, hoping to find a better answer for him.

"Can't get an annulment."

"Why not?" Luke simply stared at her patiently, waiting until she got the message. "Ohh," Lorelai breathed as her cheeks warmed and she looked away. "Just had to go and consummate it didn't you?" she grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's not it," he growled. "Annulments are much harder to get than divorces. You should know that, you watch enough TV. I just wanna be done with it. I'd like to forget it ever happened."

"Yeah, I get it. You've never been a big fan of the whole idea," she pointed out.

"What whole idea?"

"Marriage, kids, a family," she said with a shrug. "It's okay, you don't have to be; not everyone is."

"You're wrong."

"I am?"

"Why do you think I'm so upset about getting a divorce? There was never a divorce in my family. Never! That is, until Liz started picking up husbands left and right. I don't want to be like Liz, I want to be like my parents, and my parents' parents," he said, clearly getting agitated.

"Okay, well, okay. You can still do that," Lorelai said quickly.

"I'm never gonna do that," he said with an angry wave of his hand.

"You just said you wanted to," she argued.

"Look at me, Lorelai! I'm almost forty, I live in my dad's old office above my diner, I drive a truck that's older than your kid," he said as he gestured to the truck. "I'm not gonna have that. This was my last chance, and I blew it."

"Well, then tell her you don't want to get divorced!"

"I _do_ want to get divorced!"

"You just said that was your last chance!"

"Yeah, and it still wasn't good enough!" he bellowed, shocking her into silence. His chest heaved as he stared at her, trying to rein in his swirling emotions. "I don't love Nicole and I don't want to be married to her. I should, but I don't. I tried and I couldn't. That's how I blew it," he said at last.

"Oh, Luke," Lorelai said as she reached for his arm once again, and gave it a gentle squeeze. She felt a frisson of energy sizzling up her fingers as she stared into those dark blue eyes, unable to look away from the raw feeling she saw in them

He took a step closer to her, his eyes still locked on hers. "I could never just _be_ with her."

"Be?"

"Be me. Be comfortable. Be myself."

"Did she make you eat French food?" Lorelai asked with a nervous smile, trying to lighten the mood and break the spell.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too," he answered gruffly, tearing his eyes from hers at last. He turned back to the street and gestured to the truck. "Can you handle it?"

"Yeah, I've got it," she said as she took a safe step back.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said quietly, and then turned and walked away.

Lorelai watched him go, her heart breaking a little as she took in his hunched shoulders and his slowed gait. Walking backwards two more steps, she finally whirled and returned to the big green truck.

The engine rumbled to life again as Luke disappeared around the corner, and Lorelai sighed heavily as she ran her fingers over the smooth steering wheel. She glanced around the cab, noting the worn but clean upholstery, the slightly outdated stereo with a tape deck instead of a CD player, and the dustless dashboard. Like its owner, the truck was serviceable, comfortable, and well broken in. Carefully maintained so that it would always be standing by, ready to help when the need arose, but with enough dents and dings that you didn't have to worry about using it for what it was intended.

She glanced into the rearview mirror and spotted the bags and bags of clothing, linens and other necessities crammed into the bed. Lorelai put the truck into reverse, certain that the rest of the neighborhood had already turned in for the night, and began to back her way up the street to her drive.

Inside the tiny house near the end of the drive, the lace curtains parted as the sound of an engine revving split the night.

"What's goin' on, Babe?" Morey asked as he approached, placing his hands on Babette's shoulders.

"I dunno. Lorelai and Luke were loadin' Luke's truck with Rory's stuff to take to Yale. You know, she coulda used our luggage. I feel kinda bad for the poor thing, goin' off to a fancy school like Yale with a buncha trash bags stuffed fulla clothes," she said cocking her head as she saw the big green truck back past the end of the drive and stop.

"Not cool," Morey agreed.

"Anyway, they took off a little while ago, but now it looks like they're back," Babette said as she peered into the dark. As the truck began to move further back, she frowned. "You think Luke's truck is messed up?"

"Luke's pretty good about fixing stuff," Morey commented as he held the curtain aside, peeking out through the top pane of glass.

"He's backin' up some more!" Babette pointed out.

"That's weird." Morey squinted into the darkness and then reared back as he came to a startling conclusion. "I don't think that's Luke drivin', Babe."

"Does Lorelai even know how to drive a stick? Oh, here they come," she said as the truck began to roll slowly forward.

When the truck rolled past the driveway and the brake lights flashed on, Morey pulled away from the window. "Looks like she's backin' in."

"I'd better go move Pierpont," Babette said, gathering her housecoat around her as she hurried toward the door.

"Stupid first gear, I'll show you. I don't need you," Lorelai muttered as she jiggled the gear shift again, and this time purposefully shifted into reverse. With a triumphant smile, Lorelai shifted into reverse and hooked her arm over the back of the seat, peering through the rear window as she cranked the wheel and prepared to back into the drive, since she was having a hard time locating the gear she needed. When the clutch came up and she pressed the accelerator, no one was more surprised than Lorelai as the big truck jumped forward.

Pulling on the wheel to straighten it, and loath to fight with the stubborn stick any more, Lorelai clenched her jaw and decided she could circle the block and pull right into the driveway. Two minutes later, the truck's headlights lit up the back of the Jeep as she crept into the drive. Her cell phone rang and she pulled it from her pocket as she slowed even further.

"Hello?"

"She's taken me hostage," Rory whispered into the phone.

"What?"

"She's not letting me leave. Dinner lasted an hour. She didn't even put the soufflé in the oven until we'd already finished, and now we're watching taped ballroom dancing competitions that date back to the 1800s," Rory hissed, her voice rising in frustration.

"You haven't left yet?"

"Are you listening to me? I can't leave. She won't let me leave ever. This is Iran in '79 and you are Jimmy Carter. What do we do?"

"Well, first we have to lose the Jimmy Carter comparison, and second, I have to come get you. This is about _me_ and me not showing up, so maybe if I put in an appearance, she'll let you go," Lorelai suggested dubiously.

"Okay, but come quickly because she's got a lot of tapes and they rewind really slow."

Lorelai turned the wheel, letting the truck creep forward until it was parked in the yard once more, leaving the Jeep free and clear. "I'm on my way."

****

Luke drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he rambled on, relaying his encounter with one of Rory's dorm-mates. "So Chip is like, 'Set your side down first,' and I'm like, 'My side's the side with the leg missing. It's gonna collapse. You put your side down first,' and he's like, 'I'm losing my grip,' which was his excuse with everything we carried in. The TV, the stereo speakers. And I was like…"

"Oh my God, will you, like, get over this?" Lorelai asked impatiently.

"Sorry," he grumbled as he turned his attention back to the road.

A few moments passed, and Lorelai let her head loll back against the seat, turning to look at him. "Have I thanked you enough?"

"Too much."

"You have gone above and beyond all reasonable expectations."

"That's not saying much considering that you didn't have any to start with," he mumbled.

"What?"

"When I think of Luke Danes, I think nothing," he quoted mockingly.

"I meant that you want for nothing. You're content with your life," she said defensively.

"You think?" he asked with a snort.

"Aren't you?"

"I don't know," he said pensively. "There are some things I might want."

Lorelai watched as his fingers curled around the steering wheel, gripping it tighter and forcing the blood from his knuckles. "The hours you spent listening to the guy with the water glasses?"

"I definitely want those back," he confirmed as he turned to look at her.

"Well, I'm sure the productivity studies are underway," she reassured him.

Luke chewed the inside of his cheek, obviously lost in thought. Accustomed to his lapses into silence, Lorelai turned to watch the passing scenery, letting her mind drift aimlessly as the Stars Hollow sign rushed past her window.

"I want more than that," he said gruffly, causing her to jump.

"Huh?"

"I want more."

"From Nicole? Did she get the souvenir snapshot from the Captain's table?" she asked with a bewildered frown.

"Not more from Nicole, just more. More than I have," he said quietly.

"Well, I think that's pretty normal," Lorelai replied after giving it a moment of thought. "Most people do."

"I don't wanna be the forty-year-old guy hiding out above his diner waiting, waiting and just waiting," he said, speaking aloud, but clearly not to her.

"Okay. So don't be. Don't wait, go get it," Lorelai answered slowly. "What do you want? I'll help," she offered.

"You will?" he asked, turning to look at her in surprise.

"Sure. That's what friends do, right? I'll help you figure out how to get what you want," she said with a cautious nod.

"How?"

"However I can."

"Just like that," he said flatly.

"No, first I want to tie a bunch of pesky strings onto your happiness, and then I'll help," she said snidely. "Yes, just like that."

"Even though you don't know what I want," he clarified.

"No offense, but how hard could it be? You're a pretty simple guy with pretty simple needs. You want a bigger TV, we'll go shopping for one. You want a pretty girl, I'll pick one out for you," she said with a careless shrug.

"Really? Huh. You know, I've never needed much help getting pretty girls," he said as he shot her a look.

"You know what I mean. I'll talk to her, find out if she's a good match for you. Frankly, I have no idea what you and Nicole ever found to talk about," she said under her breath.

"We talked."

"I'm sure you did," Lorelai said patronizingly.

"We talked! We talked a lot," Luke argued.

"I'm agreeing with you."

"No, you're not," he snapped. "Don't try to pull this on me. You never liked Nicole and you didn't like me dating Nicole."

"I hardly know Nicole!"

"Exactly! But that didn't stop you from forming an opinion of her, and of my dating her."

"I'm entitled to have my own opinions."

"Informed opinions," he corrected.

"A blind man could have seen that you were wrong for each other!"

"Says you!"

"And you!" she shot back.

Luke pulled to a stop outside of the diner, but his hands remained wrapped around the wheel. "Why do we always end up yelling at each other?" he asked quietly.

"We yell because we can? We yell because we care?" she suggested, trying to lighten the mood with a smile. When it fell a bit short, she turned in the seat to face him. "I'm sorry, Luke. I'm sorry that you're unhappy. I'm sorry that you have to do all this," she said with a vague wave of her hand. "I'd do anything I could to make it better," she said sincerely.

"You would?" he asked suspiciously.

"Why do you keep doubting me?" she asked, frustrated.

"I just never know with you," he said as he turned to face her.

Lorelai opened her mouth to respond, but clamped it shut when her pager sounded.

"What's that?"

"It's my pager." Lorelai opened the pager and read the display. "Oh no," she whispered.

"What?"

She held out the display to show him, and murmured, "Come back."

"What?"

"It's from Rory," she explained as he leaned closer to peer at the tiny display. "It says 'Come back' with about a dozen exclamation points." Glancing up at the dustless dashboard of his truck, she nudged him with her elbow and began to scoot across the seat. "Uh, move, move."

Luke held his ground, staring at her as if she had lost her mind. "What are you doing?"

"I gotta borrow your truck," she insisted as she pushed her hip against his.

"No way."

"I gotta go back."

"Well, then take your own car. Remember that concept?"

"No, it'll take too long to walk back to get it. Plus, I'm out of gas. Plus, it's been making weird noises and probably can't take a long trip. Please, Luke?" she wheedled.

"I need my truck," he said, knowing that he was already weakening.

"I need it more."

"You've had it all day."

Lorelai knew him well enough to know that he was already beginning to crack, so she went for broke. "Don't you care about Rory?"

"Of course I care about Rory," he replied, offended by the implication. When he met her gaze, he sighed and shifted toward the door. "Have it back by seven."

"Thanks, Luke," she said with a triumphant grin. "We'll get right on your project when I get back," she promised. "Start looking for potential candidates for me to screen."

"What if I already have one in mind?" he asked as he climbed from the truck.

"Excellent! That saves me from having to troll pages and pages of internet dating sites," she said as she settled behind the wheel.

"Nope, don't need to do that," he answered as he closed the door, his hands curling over the open window frame as he hung on to the door. "You already know her."

"I do?" she asked, looking up with a puzzled frown.

Luke nodded once and then reached through the window to cup the back of her neck. He saw her eyes widen in surprise and then her lips part in anticipation as the shock faded into awareness. He ducked his head and pressed his lips to hers in a hard, possessive kiss.

When he felt her lips soften and yield beneath his, he pulled back abruptly.

"Maybe now you'll have something to think about when you think about Luke Danes," he said in a gruff, gravelly voice.

Unable to find her voice, Lorelai simply nodded as she shoved the gear shift forward and the truck began to roll back. "Ooh!" she gasped as she saw Luke move quickly away from the truck.

"That's reverse."

"I know," she answered quickly. She jammed it into first gear and pressed the accelerator and peeled away from the curb so quickly that he was amazed that the tires didn't squeal.

Once she was well away from the diner, Lorelai hooked a quick right and pulled over to the curb. The engine hummed as she pressed her foot against the brake, trying to hold the powerful truck's horses as she reined in her hammering heart. She raised her hand to her mouth, her fingertips playing over her lips, feeling them throb with the memory of his kiss. Lorelai blinked rapidly, focusing with all her might on the red jacketed lawn jockey that marked Mrs. Kaminsky's driveway. Drawing a shaky breath through her fingers, she forced herself to lower her hand to the gear shift once more.

"Copperboom," she whispered as she wrestled the misogynistic stick into first gear and carefully pulled away from the curb.

****

Lorelai knew that she should have felt guilty. The list of things she should feel guilty for seemed to grow by the moment. First, she felt guilty for fleeing the scene of the crime. Then, she felt guilty for using her daughter's unease to avoid returning to Stars Hollow. She knew she should feel bad about having Rory call Luke to convince him that she needed her mother, and by default his truck, to stay in New Haven. So, Lorelai Gilmore did the one thing she always did when she needed to assuage a little guilt, she ordered take-out.

The fact that Paco's Tacos' salsa made her lips tingle didn't help matters any. It felt too much like the tingle she had felt tripping through her veins as she sped out of Stars Hollow. The cool creaminess of the ice cream only reminded her of his soft, smooth lips moving over hers, firm and sure. And the fact that not one of the cute delivery guys that graced their doorway could hold a candle to a scruffy man in flannel was the most disturbing factor of all.

Lorelai pushed it all aside; the guilt, the lingering hunger, the butterflies that had taken up residence in her stomach, and that annoyingly trippy pulse that pounded in her ears as she felt the keys to his truck practically burning a hole through the thin cotton of her jeans pocket.

She stood clutching Rory's hairbrush as she watched the Durfee girls mill about the room, sampling the cuisines of the world while comparing class schedules and extracurricular interests. Lorelai looked down at the brush, and finally gave up hope of singing Motown classics into its bristles with the sad realization that her daughter was probably the only young woman in the room who even knew what Motown was.

"You'll just have to wait," she sang under her breath as she stood apart from the fray in the common room.

"Hey," Rory greeted her as she stepped out of the bedroom she was sharing with Paris.

"Hey," Lorelai said with a bright smile. "Nothing like the combination of food and cute delivery guys to break the ice, huh?"

"Works like a charm," Rory agreed as she surveyed the room.

"They seem nice."

"Yeah. I've already found out that I have a few classes with some of them," Rory said with a nod.

"See? Cool," Lorelai grinned approvingly.

Rory turned to her mother and said, "I appreciate it, Mom."

"Hey, it's fun, right?"

"Yeah." Rory nodded. "I think you should go home."

"What?" Lorelai gasped. "You're kicking me out?"

"No, I'm cutting you loose," Rory answered.

"Why?" Lorelai whined. "I ordered food, we know that Ang from Freddy's Happy Tokyo Takeout is a hottie, and we were about to sing Motown songs."

"I don't think they know any Motown songs. Besides, Ang's cuteness was not quite enough to make up for that disgusting excuse for a California Roll. I appreciate the food and the support, but I have to be a big girl now."

"But, you can be a big girl tomorrow," Lorelai pled.

"You've been antsy all night. I know you're worried about getting Luke's truck back to him. Go. I'll be fine," Rory assured her.

"I'm not antsy!"

"You can barely hold still."

"I never hold still."

"You're fidgety, you have shifty eyes and I'm afraid you're going to swipe my favorite hairbrush," Rory said as she pried the brush from Lorelai's grip.

"I was not," Lorelai said indignantly.

"I'm fine. It was a momentary panic. I have Paris; and if I get anxious, I'll have her show me how to hot glue something."

"I could have shown you that, I have a glue gun," Lorelai sniffed.

"Not the point."

"Still…"

"Mom," Rory said impatiently.

Lorelai turned to face her daughter head on. "Ever think it might not just be you? Maybe I need to stay here."

Rory smiled as she leaned in, embracing her mother tightly as she whispered, "You'll be fine, too. Go home. Thank Luke for me and give him a big hug. I think he probably needs one," she said as she drew back.

"I don't know what Luke needs," Lorelai stammered as she looked away, pretending to survey the party in progress.

"Well, he has been there an awful lot for us over the years, I think we just need to be there for him," Rory said with a decisive nod.

"Yeah."

"Now, hop in that big man-truck and go home," Rory said sternly.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"I love you, kid," Lorelai said as she hugged her baby one more time. "You call, I'll come running."

"I love you too, Mom. Thanks."

Lorelai nodded and blinked back her tears as she set Rory away from her. "Bye, girls!" she called to the assembled crowd as she wove her way to the door.

A chorus of 'Bye Lorelai' followed her out into the hall. Once the door was latched behind her, she fished her cell phone from her back pocket and then plunged one hand into the front pocket, curling her fingers around the metal keys warmed by the heat of her skin.

****

Luke shoved the towel back into the ring next to the sink and shut off the bathroom light as he shuffled toward the bed. He was tired. Bone tired. He was drained from a day of fruitless arguments with feckless attorneys. He was worn out by trying to extricate himself from a mess of his own making. A mess he kept on making, digging himself deeper and deeper; and flying right in the face of everything he knew was right and good. All because he gave in to his one weakness.

He just had to kiss her. He couldn't stop himself, thinking he'd just do it that once and walk away. Figuring that once he broke that taboo, the nagging allure of his friend Lorelai would be demystified, and he could finally move on once and for all. And now, he had kissed her; and all he knew once and for all that there was no one else for him. There never would be.

Yanking the covers back, he fell into the narrow single bed that had been his and his alone for longer than he cared to remember. The streetlights shone on the ceiling, streaking the cracked, faded paint with narrow yellow stripes. The apartment was quiet. Too quiet. Jess was gone, and now so was Nicole. And here he was, left alone with the faint taste of strawberry lip gloss on his lips, even though he knew logically that all traces of that tantalizing pink gloss were long gone.

His ancient alarm clock ticked off the seconds, and his eyes blinked on every third beat without fail. Another night alone would be followed only by another day of slinging hash and fending off the sharks that circled his diner with their briefcases and business cards.

One, no, make that two, impulsive moves, and now everything had changed. The first one, he could chalk up to temporary insanity. He'd blame it on the booze and the boat and the goddamn bossa nova music that those stupid lounge bands seemed to love so much. The second? Well, he'd simply call that desperation.

Not that a guy had to be desperate to kiss Lorelai Gilmore. He just knew himself well enough to know that he never would have done it under normal circumstances. Usually, he could control that impulse very well. Luke knew that on any given day, he resisted the urge to kiss Lorelai at least three times. He could count on it. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The three main meals of the day provided him with ample instances of desire. He didn't even need to count the times she stops by just for coffee, or simply just to harass him; those were just bonuses that made up for the occasional meals that she missed. No, every day, at least three times a day for the past seven years, Luke Danes had managed to refrain from serving up a minimum of three big ones to go along with her three squares. God only knows why today just had to be different.

Luke rolled over onto his side, closing his eyes and attempting to will away the image of Lorelai's wide blue eyes as his lips met hers. He hooked one arm under his pillow, pressing it into his head as if he could block out the memory of her lips growing soft and sweet against his. He completed the roll, pressing his face into the pillow, trying to smother the lingering taste that he knew was only an illusion.

The phone rang, starling him and causing him to push up on the bed and sit back on his heels as he turned to stare at the offending instrument. It rang two more times before his brain could slog through the mess in his head to send the command to move. His answering machine kicked on just as he stumbled toward the receiver.

"Luke? Are you there?" Lorelai's voice drifted up from the speaker.

Luke immediately snatched the receiver from its cradle. "I'm here," he said, wincing at the breathlessness he heard in his voice.

"Hi."

"Hey."

There was a long pause and then Lorelai announced, "I'm on my way back. Your truck is fine."

"I thought Rory wanted you to spend the night."

"Well, she did, but then she changed her mind. We invited some of the other girls on her floor over for food, and, well, Paris was there, not that Paris being anywhere within ten miles is any great comfort…" Lorelai gripped the phone tighter as she slowed for the exit to Stars Hollow. "Anyway, she didn't need me."

"She'll always need you," he said without missing a beat.

Lorelai smiled, a flush of pleasure warming her cheeks as she heard the absolute certainty in his voice. "Thanks," she said softly. The silence stretched between them for a moment too long, and unable to bear the growing void, she blurted, "So, she's all moved in."

"She's all moved in," Luke concurred as he tugged the waistband of his sweats up a bit.

"Did you know that those girls don't know what Motown is?"

"Well, I guess they still have a lot to learn," Luke said cautiously.

"I was trying to get them to sing into their hairbrushes with me," she said with a sad smile.

"No go?"

"They've never even heard of 'You Can't Hurry Love'," she said mournfully.

"I'm not sure that I have either," Luke joked.

"Really? Are you kidding me?" Lorelai asked, appalled. "You can't hurry love. No, you just have to wait…" she sang into the phone.

"I _was _kidding," he interrupted.

"Love don't come easy, it's a game of give and take," she continued, singing louder to drown out his protests.

"I'm begging you," he grumbled.

"You can't hurry love. No, you just have to wait," she sang exuberantly.

"Did you call me just to torture me? Trying to stick me with the mattress wasn't enough?"

Lorelai glanced into the rearview mirror and smirked as she saw the striped mattress that Yale had provided secured in the bed of the truck. "Oh, Luke, you've got to trust, give it time. No matter how long it takes," she sang, her voice trailing off as the lyrics suddenly clicked in her head.

A short sizzle of static echoed across the phone line, accentuating the sudden quiet that fell between them.

"Time, huh?" he said at last.

"Luke," Lorelai began.

"How much time?"

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Because I kissed you this afternoon, and I didn't plan on it, but now I'm not exactly sure how long I can wait to do it again," he said quietly.

"Luke, please."

"Please what? Please kiss you again or please leave you alone?" he asked. "Just tell me which one, Lorelai, and I'll do whatever you want." Luke cringed as his voice cracked a little.

The sound of the ancient alarm clock filled the room, marking off endless seconds that seemed to stretch into years. "Lorelai?"

"I'm here," she said softly.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm in Stars Hollow. I'm bringing your truck back," she said, and then hung up.

"Crap," Luke muttered as he let the receiver fall from his ear into his hand. He tossed it back onto the cradle and stalked toward the apartment door.

Moments later, he walked barefoot through the diner, figuring that the only real capper to this crapper of a day could be for the health inspector to happen by in the thirty seconds it would take for Lorelai to throw his keys at him and run away.

She pulled to a stop at the curb as he turned the locks, and by the time he stepped out onto the top stair, Lorelai had slammed the driver's door. She stopped with her head bowed and one foot on the bottom stair, and he held his breath, waiting for her to say something. Lorelai let her gaze travel slowly from the sidewalk up, curiously absorbing his long bare feet, the faded grey sweatpants, and the tiny tear in the collar of his snug fitting olive green t-shirt.

When she met his eyes, she raised her hand, holding his keys out to him. Luke took them without looking away, his fingers closing convulsively over the cool metal ring and curling into a tight fist. Lorelai blinked in surprise when he took a step back into the diner, and then rose up onto the first step. One more step back and he was inside the door, two more steps forward and she reached the spot where he had stood just moments before.

"What are we doing?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," he answered, and then took another step back.

Lorelai closed the distance between them, stepping into the darkened diner and closing the door behind her a little too forcefully. When Luke's eyebrows shot up, she shook her head, trying to resist the urge to reach out and smooth his rumpled hair. "I'm confused. I'm not thinking clearly."

"I don't want that," he said gruffly.

"What?"

"I need you to be clear. I need you not to be confused."

"You're married."

"Separated," he corrected automatically. When she opened her mouth to retort he held up one hand to stop her. "Lorelai, I know, okay? I know."

"I don't know how to feel about that," she confessed.

Luke nodded slowly. "How do you feel about me?"

"I, uh," she began and then looked away as she clamped her mouth shut.

Luke nodded again, taking another step closer to her. "What are you doing here, then?"

"Your truck," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Is parked outside. You gave me the keys outside too," he reminded her.

"I know."

"But you came in here," he prodded.

"I want you to kiss me again," she answered without meeting his eyes.

"You do?"

"Yeah."

Luke pressed his lips together and tossed the keys onto the nearest table. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around her arm, rubbing it gently as he waited for her to look up.

When she didn't, he asked gruffly, "You think you're confused? I'm standing here in the dark staring at the one reason that I couldn't stay married and she can't even look at me. And the worst part about it is that I never really even thought about getting married before I met her," he confessed in a low voice.

"Me?" Lorelai asked, finally looking up at him.

"You."

"Whoa."

"You want a kiss, and I want, uh, more than that." Luke stepped back again, forcing himself to lower his hand. "So, do I take the kiss and be happy with what I got?" When she remained silent, he leaned back to look at her. "I'm asking you, as my friend, who wants me to be happy," he added, an edge of bitterness creeping into his voice.

"I do want you to be happy," she insisted.

"And if I said that it was you, that you were the one who could make me happy, would you still want to make that happen?"

"Yes," she answered without hesitation.

"Yes?"

"Yes." Lorelai looked up, lifting her chin a little higher as she looked him in the eye.

"Just to make me happy?" he challenged.

"Well, I think it might make me happy too," she replied stubbornly.

"Are we gonna fight now?" he asked, amusement twitching the corners of his mouth.

"I lied."

"About what?"

"I do know how I feel about you marrying Nicole."

"Yeah?"

"When you said you proposed, my heart stopped."

"Lorelai..."

She shook her head, refusing to stop until she said what she had to say. "When you said you married her, it dropped down into my stomach," she admitted. She turned away from him, but her hurt and disbelief were evident in her tone.

"I'm sorry. You'll never know how sorry I am," he said, his voice raspy with guilt.

Lorelai looked up again and stared directly into his deep blue eyes. "When you said 'We're getting a divorce,' I wanted to cheer," she said bluntly. "I know that's wrong, and I know you're upset about it, and I am sorry that you have to go through with it, but…" she paused as she sucked in a deep breath. "Yay," she exhaled.

"Yay?" he asked with a startled laugh.

"Yay," she repeated more forcefully.

Luke cocked his head, unwilling to break her gaze as his lips curved into a smile. "Okay," he said quietly.

"Okay."

He reached up, brushing the knuckle of his forefinger lightly over the curve of her cheek. When her eyes closed and she swayed toward him, Luke's smile faded as he whispered, "Okay," and then pressed his lips to hers.

Lorelai's fingers found their way into his tousled hair as his fingertips traced her jaw, drawing her closer as he deepened the kiss, his tongue brushing over the seam of her lips. She parted them with a soft moan that only added fuel to the fire. Luke pressed his other hand to her back, holding her against the solid wall of his chest as his tongue swept into her mouth. His tongue tangled with hers, gliding over it gently one moment, and then drawing it greedily into his mouth the next.

"Okay, okay," she panted as his lips trailed to the corner of her mouth, across her cheek to her jaw. One hand fisted in his hair as the other slipped to his shoulder, her nails digging into the muscle as he nuzzled her ear. "We should stop."

"I don't want to," he said gruffly, his deep voice rumbling in his chest.

"I don't either," she confessed as she pressed sinuously into the hard length of his body. "But we should."

"Why?"

"You're married," she whispered.

"Separated," he muttered as he pulled back to look at her. When she blinked up at him, he sighed and said, "I don't feel married."

Lorelai smiled. "How would you know what married feels like?" she teased.

"I don't know what it's like, but I know I don't feel it," he grumbled.

"Ah, so it's like art. How long will it take?"

"Months," he grunted as he looked away, trying to force himself to let her go, but finding that he just couldn't do it. He ran his hand down over her sleek ponytail, capturing the elastic that held it at bay and pulling it slowly down the length. The band fell to the floor forgotten as he threaded his fingers through her dark tresses and pulled them through to the ends. When Lorelai sighed softly, he whispered, "I've waited so long."

"Yeah?" she asked, trying to read his eyes.

"Too long." Luke pushed his fingers back into her hair, gently massaging the base of her skull with those long fingers. "I don't wanna wait anymore. I'm afraid you'll change your mind. I'm afraid you'll run away."

Lorelai smiled as she leaned into his caress. "I'm afraid of what you'll do if I try to get away," she said with a lazy smile.

"Huh?"

"What would you do, kidnap me and make me run off to Vegas with you?" she said in a softly taunting tone.

"Lorelai," he growled.

"Niagara Falls is closer," she said with a nod. She closed her eyes as she let her head fall back into his hand. "We can honeymoon in one of those motels with the heart shaped beds."

"Stop."

"Would you? Would you, Luke?" she asked softly, her eyelashes fluttering as she looked up at him.

"Would I what?"

"Run away and marry me," she challenged.

"No."

"No?" she asked, her eyes popping open in surprise.

"If I married you, it wouldn't be an impulse."

"No? You'd want to think about it? Maybe make a pro/con list? What would it take to convince you?" she asked. Ducking her head, she pressed her lips to the soft skin just below the line of his beard. "Would you marry me if I did this?" she whispered against his neck.

Her tongue darted out to trace the line of coarse stubble that trailed down his throat. She slid her hands down his arms, her fingers fanning over his bulging biceps appreciatively before she ran them back up over his shoulders and down to his chest.

"Do I have to compromise you to make you say yes?" she asked breathlessly as her thumbs grazed the thin cotton covering his taut nipples.

"Yes. I mean, no," he said quickly. "Or yes. I'm confused."

"That's what you said," she purred as she kissed and nipped her way up to his ear. "What are you confused about?"

Luke shivered, his arms tightening around her convulsively as her warm breath tickled his ear. "You said we had to stop," he said hoarsely.

"I said we _should_ stop," she corrected.

"You're driving me crazy," he grumbled as he took a step back and pushed her away from him.

Lorelai watched as he blinked rapidly, clearly trying to clear the fog from his mind, and suddenly it was all so clear to her. Lorelai smiled as she realized that she liked him a little hazy, perhaps even a little crazy. As a matter of fact, she wanted him really crazy; out of his mind crazy.

"Come with me," she said as she took his hand and started walking toward the curtain that hid the steps to his apartment.

"What? Where?"

"I figure if I'm going, I might as well make it worthwhile," she told him as she flashed a devilish grin over her shoulder.

"Going where?"

"We're going upstairs, and I'm probably going to Hell for doing what I'm about to do with a married man," she said blithely as she started up the stairs.

Luke stopped, his bare toes stubbing against the riser of the bottom step as her fingers slipped all too easily from his. "Separated," he said nonsensically.

"Whatever." Lorelai crossed her arms over her stomach and pulled her striped shirt up over her head, continuing to climb as she tossed it back over her shoulder.

Luke caught the shirt with his face, and quickly pulled it away; gaping at her as her hips swayed from side to side and her fingers tangled in the clasp of her bra. He saw it give way, exposing the last strip of her now bare back as she reached the landing and let it slide down her arms to the floor. He caught a glimpse of her bare breast as she disappeared around the balustrade and into his apartment.

Clutching her shirt in his fist, he took the stairs two at a time, barely pausing to look down at the scrap of satin and lace she had left on the landing.

"Lorelai," he called as he swung through the door to his apartment, sliding across the floor on the pile of denim she had left near the table.

She laughed as she watching him pinwheel his arms and then grasp for a chair, almost pulling it over as he struggled to keep his balance. "Good save," she complimented as she stood next to his bed wearing nothing but a pair of skimpy bikini panties striped with all the colors of the rainbow.

Luke stared at her, his jaw slack with shock even as his eyes heated with desire. He snapped his mouth shut and dropped the shirt onto the table as he began to walk slowly toward her, his eyes roaming greedily over her bare breasts. Lorelai saw him wet his lips as his gaze lingered on her panties, and smiled as she hooked her thumbs into the sides, preparing to shed those too.

"Don't," he rasped.

"Don't?"

Luke shook his head slowly as he reached up to cup her cheek. His palm smoothed over her skin as his fingers pushed into her hair, and she tipped her head back, welcoming his kiss.

"I don't want you to go to Hell," he said softly.

"Oh, you're going with me," she told him bluntly.

His lips quirked as he tilted his head and studied her closely. "I would be, wouldn't I?"

"Yep."

"And you'd be okay with that?"

"I figure we might get out of it if, you know, eventually, after hours and hours of careful consideration, and probably a few days, weeks or months of bickering, I make an honest man of you," she said as she gazed solemnly into his eyes. "I saw you first."

"Did you?"

"I never said that she could have you," she added with a pout.

"Right."

"I'm standing here naked," she pointed out.

"Almost naked," he corrected as he wrapped his hands around her ribcage and let them slide slowly down to her waist.

"Close enough."

"Not nearly," he retorted as his hands slipped down to her hips and his fingers burrowed under the elastic, pushing her panties down until they fell to her feet. "Now you're naked," he said with a rakish grin.

"And you're not." Luke smirked as he took a half a step back and held his arms up for her obligingly. "Who said I wanted to start with the shirt?" she asked as she tugged at the elastic waistband on his sweatpants.

"Start wherever you want, I'm gonna finish it," he answered in a low, husky voice.

Lorelai pushed the pants down, smiling as she confirmed her suspicion that he wore nothing beneath. Once he stepped out of them she pushed his t-shirt up over his stomach, spreading her hands over his chest and teasing his skin with her nails as she worked it higher inch by revealing inch.

Once the shirt was discarded, Luke wrapped his arms around her and hauled her to him, groaning aloud as her body pressed flush against his. "Did you mean it?" she asked, her voice shy and soft as she looked up at him through her lashes.

"Mean what?"

"What you said."

Luke blew out an exasperated breath, and then inhaled sharply as she began to move slowly, rubbing her bare shin against his. "I'm not sure what you mean, but yeah, I meant all of it."

"So, she was right to be jealous of me," she said with a sly smile.

"Yeah, she was," he admitted, knowing that at that moment he'd admit to being Hitler's son, stealing the Hope Diamond or planning to overthrow the government, any government.

"Good." When he snorted softly, she grinned and said, "Poor Nicole."

"Shh," he admonished as he grasped her hips, trying to still the torturous little circles they were making.

"I'll take that kiss now," she said with a smug smile as she tipped her face up to his.

"We are terrible people," he mumbled as he lowered his mouth to hers.

Lorelai arched against him as his tongue claimed her mouth, the tips of her breasts beading tighter as the hair on his chest teased them mercilessly. "Horrible," she gasped as they broke for air.

Luke pushed her backwards as he attacked her neck, licking and sucking the delicate skin into his ravenous mouth. "I don't give a damn. Not right now. Not now," he repeated as he pushed her back onto his bed.

"Me either," she whispered as his tongue smoothed along her collarbone and then dipped into the hollow of her throat.

"Touch me," he ordered against her exposed throat.

Lorelai's hands sprung to life, gliding over expanses of smooth golden skin as the muscles rippled beneath her touch. "God you're gorgeous," she murmured as he kissed his way along the curve of her breast.

Luke lifted his head and looked her straight in the eye. "I've wanted you for so long," he told her. "So long," he murmured against her breast, parting his lips to draw the tight bud of her nipple into his mouth.

"Oh!" Lorelai clasped his head, her fingers winding in his hair as she held him there, raising off of the bed in an urgent plea for him to take more.

His hand closed possessively over her other breast, kneading the soft mound as he tugged at her nipple with his lips, teeth and tongue. Lorelai writhed against him, rubbing the soft curls that covered her sex against his hip shamelessly as he suckled her harder and deeper.

He moved to claim her other breast, and Lorelai moaned as he pinched her damp nipple hard between his thumb and forefinger, and then tugged gently.

"Now, in me now," she panted as she ground against the ridge of his hipbone.

"Not yet," he murmured as he sucked harder, working her into a frenzy of need.

"Now, now," Lorelai chanted as she felt the delicious heat of unsatisfied desire knotting low in her belly.

"Soon," he promised as he cupped both breasts in his hands and slid lower, watching as his own fingers teased the rigid tips.

"Luke," she groaned pleadingly as she undulated wantonly against his stomach.

Enflamed by the sound of his name tumbling from her kiss swollen lips, he captured her nipple once more, his teeth rasping over the sensitive flesh before he opened his mouth wider and drew her deep into his mouth.

Tiny grunts and gasps tangled in her throat, unable to escape as she frantically pushed at his hand, urging it lower. She could feel his lips curve into a smile as he nipped at the distended tip with his soft lips. When he pulled her back into his mouth, Luke covered her dark, damp curls with his palm, letting his fingertips tease the folds of her sex. Lorelai bucked wildly, pressing into his hand as she pushed into his mouth. Those tangled gasps and grunts burst free as the heat in her belly burst into flames, shooting wave after wave of pleasure coursing through her veins.

When she cried out, Luke released her breast, looking up at her as she rode the crest of her climax, her face as flushed and damp as the flesh that pulsed against his hand. He groaned as he watched her, forcing himself to release the breath he held in his lungs.

"Geez, Lorelai," he whispered.

She slowed, opening eyes drowsy with satisfaction to peer down at him. "Your fault," she whispered back.

"I'll take the blame," he answered without hesitation. He slid further down, his lips grazing her stomach in the barest of kisses as his fingertips continued to stroke her folds. When he heard her whimper softly, he parted those damp folds with the tip of his middle finger, letting it play teasingly over her tender, wet flesh.

"Keep this up and we may be seeing Hell sooner than we expected," she whispered.

"Heaven," he corrected, watching her face as he circled her clit with that one fingertip.

"Oh, Heaven," she purred.

Luke pressed his lips to the downy curls that shielded her as he shifted to kneel between her legs. Lorelai wet her lips in anticipation as he sat back, his straining erection jutting proudly from his body. She reached out, but he sat just out of reach. Propping herself on one elbow, Lorelai tossed her hair back off of her shoulders and smiled as she wrapped her fingers around his thick shaft.

"Feel good?" she asked as she stroked him lightly.

"Mmm," he hummed as he pressed his fingers a little deeper, adding a second teasing fingertip to the mix. "You?" he asked as he caught her clit between those two fingers and massaged it gently.

"So good," she moaned.

"Good," he said with a smug smile, using her distraction as an opportunity to pull back, slipping from her grasp.

"Hey," she protested as she flopped onto her back to pout. "Hey!" she squeaked as his tongue chased those teasing fingers away and he claimed the sensitive nub with his talented mouth. "Oh, hello," she purred as she smoothed her hands over his broad shoulders.

When he chuckled at her change in tune, Lorelai gasped as the vibration shot through her. Her hips circled as his tongue danced over her heated flesh, teasing, tasting and tempting her. "Vegas would work," she whispered.

Luke pressed his tongue to her clit, holding it firm and still against her. Lorelai planted her feet on the mattress and pushed off of the bed in frustration. With almost excruciating deliberation he circled it slowly and her knees quivered. His tongue stilled once again and she whimpered, clutching his soft hair with both hands in an effort to urge him on. He looked up at her from under that dark veil of lashes, meeting her impatient glare with a look of steely determination. When he circled her once again, he pressed one long finger to her entrance, letting it slip into her molten heat as she thrust instinctively.

He hummed deep in his throat as he used his tongue to stroke her into a frenzy of need. Her hips rose and fell, riding first one and then two fingers as they slipped easily in and out of her, drenched in her juices. His lips and tongue became more demanding with every stroke, matching the tiny gasps that filled the room in their fervor. Lorelai shuddered, her walls closing tightly around his fingers, holding him deep inside of her as her muscles quaked, and Luke looked up, again watching her face as she tumbled over the edge.

"Oh God," she whispered, the words nearly soundless as she tried to catch her breath.

"Mm hmm," Luke hummed with pleasure as his lips brushed over the creamy skin of her thighs.

Lorelai straightened her trembling legs as he continued to nuzzle and stroke her, his tongue tracing intricate patterns over her thighs, hips and stomach. "Luke," she breathed as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah?"

Lorelai smiled as he looked up at her, his chin resting between her breasts. She let the side of her index finger trail down over his scruffy cheek and asked, "My turn yet?"

His smile was slow and a little smug as her pressed his curved lips to the soft valley between her breasts. "I'm not done," he grumbled as he nipped playfully at the underside of her breast with his lips.

Lorelai laughed as she sat up, bracing herself on her elbows. "My turn," she said more forcefully as she gave his shoulder a shove.

Luke peered over the edge of the narrow bed. "What are you doing?"

"Roll over."

"There's no room."

"We'll make room," she insisted.

"But…"

"Luke," she warned.

He smirked and asked challengingly, "What are you gonna do if I don't?"

"Don't you wanna know what I'm gonna do if you do?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I don't know what I was thinking," he muttered as he rocked back, letting her scramble out from under him before turning onto his back. He raised one arm up over his head, propping it up and smiling at her as she climbed on top of him.

"Look at you, so full of yourself," she chided gently.

Luke pressed his lips together tightly, but his eyes danced with humor as Lorelai straddled his hips. She laughed softly and leaned forward, pulling his arm down so that she could bracket his head with her forearms. "You're thinking dirty thoughts," she whispered.

"Uh huh."

"You're right, I'd rather be full of you," she said with a sly smile.

Luke ran his hands down her smooth back, cupping the rounded curves of her bottom as she crouched over him. "Great idea," he said in a low, husky voice.

"So, we agree?" Lorelai asked teasingly as she rocked back, letting the damp folds of her sex brush against the heat of his erection.

"Oh yeah."

She wet her lips, the tip of her tongue pausing at the corner of her mouth as she brushed against him. Luke squeezed her bottom with one hand, kneading the flesh urgently as he buried the other in her hair and pulled her down to him. He captured her tongue, swirling it with his as he kissed her hungrily.

"I want to touch you," she murmured as she pulled away.

Luke grunted as he grasped her hips with both hands and held her there, rising off of the mattress to grind against her. His lips moved soundlessly as he stared up at her, his heavily lidded eyes pleading with her.

Lorelai smiled as she nodded her understanding. "Next time," she said softly as she sat back, pressing her hands to the taut muscles of his stomach as she rose up over him in invitation.

He grasped his throbbing cock, the sensitive tip brushing against her damp flesh as he positioned himself at her entrance. Biting his lip, he returned his hand to her hip and pressed his fingers into her skin, signaling for her to bear down on him. The moment her wet walls enveloped him, Luke lost the battle for restraint. A guttural groan rumbled from the depths of his chest as she sank down further, sheathing him in her heat.

A smile of pure feminine satisfaction curved her lips as she looked down at him, holding still as he pulsed deep inside of her. Her fingernails skimmed through the soft hair that dusted his stomach as Lorelai watched his lips part in anticipation. She began to move slowly, rising up over him and then impaling herself on him, and his ragged breathing and soft groans made her skin tingle. Goosebumps rose on her arms as he opened his eyes and focused that hazy dark blue gaze on her. She began to move faster, driven by the heady desire that made his eyes smoky. The craving, the clawing need to push him over the edge was almost overpowering. She wanted him dazed. She wanted him crazy with that insatiable need to rush from longing to belonging. Lorelai threw her head back, her dark hair spilling down her back as she began to ride him wildly.

Luke's fingers dug into the taut muscles of her thighs, clinging to them as they flexed beneath his palms. "Slower," he gasped, desperate to hang onto his last shred of control.

Lorelai moaned, oblivious to his plea as she pressed her hand to the ivory column of her throat, her own pulse thundering beneath her fingertips.

"Lorelai," Luke grunted, desperation ringing clear and true in his voice as he pushed himself off of the bed. He wrapped his arms around her, trapping her own to her sides as he pulled her down onto him and holding her in a steely grip as she struggled against him.

"Shh, shh," he whispered against her throat, his lips grazing the tender flesh.

"No."

"I can't… I'm trying…"

"I want…"

"Not yet. Please," he whispered into her ear. "I don't want it to be over yet." His hand slid to the nape of her neck, his long fingers gently massaging the knotted muscles there as she stopped resisting. "I'm so crazy about you. You make me crazy," he murmured as he pressed his open mouth to her throbbing pulse.

"I want," she whispered as she curved around him, raking her nails up his back.

"I know." Luke eased her grip on her hip, cradling her neck as she began to move again, letting her set the pace within reason. He showered her face and neck with tiny soft kisses, trying to distract his body from the siren song of hers. "I want too," he told her, his voice hoarse with need.

Lorelai purred her pleasure at his words, her hips moving slightly faster and her body pulling him deeper still. She moaned as her nipple rasped against the hair on his chest, their hardened tips begging for the feel of his mouth again. "We're so good at this," she blurted, a tiny laugh of disbelief chasing the thought.

"Didn't think we'd be?" he asked as his teeth caught her ear lobe.

"Didn't think. Didn't let myself think," she answered truthfully.

"I thought about you all the time. I was wrong."

"Wrong?" she asked, stilled by shock.

Luke's hand tightened on her neck, pressing down on her shoulders as he pushed up into her. "So much better."

"Smart answer," she drawled as she began to move again. She brushed a kiss to his temple and then whispered, "Hang on, here we go."

Luke hung on, his hands clenching on her as she wrapped herself around him, holding him close as she began to move faster, driving him directly to the edge and then giving him a mind shattering nudge. She could feel him pulsing inside of her, his cock filling further, his movements becoming erratic. A deep groan preceded a telltale ripple that shook his entire body. A tiny grunt of protest followed a throaty yelp of release as she felt the heat of his climax filling her.

Riding out the shuddering aftershocks Lorelai ground against him with each down stroke, seeking one more moment of pleasure, this time with him deep inside of her. A frustrated moan caught in her throat, cutting through the dense fog of satisfaction that clouded his mind.

"Oh," he grunted, and then chuckled as he pressed his lips to hers for a quick kiss. "Sorry," he whispered as he slid one hand between their joined bodies.

"S'okay," Lorelai whispered as he began to stroke her gently. Her breath rushed from her lungs, and she began to move faster, hurtling toward completion with his attentive assistance. As she came she laughed, letting her head fall back as her breathy chuckles filled the room.

"So funny?" he asked lazily, nuzzling the curve of her neck.

"I'm very greedy."

Luke's lips curved as he nodded, his damp fingers trailing over her smooth bottom. "You are."

"I have a healthy appetite," she said lazily.

"I know."

"You should."

"I do."

"There you go trying to marry me again," she said with an exaggerated sigh. "What if I only want you for my boy toy?"

"I wouldn't be shocked."

"But you'd be willing?" she concluded.

Luke lifted his head and pulled back to look at her. Smoothing her hair back from her cheek, he stared at her solemnly and said, "I would have taken the kiss."

"But you got more," she reminded him with a nod.

"I'll take it. I'll take whatever I can get, as long as it's with you," he told her, his fingers stroking the line of her jaw.

"You're sure? You don't want to do a productivity study to see if it's worth it?" she teased, delight lighting her smile.

"I think we were very productive."

"Yes, we were." She glanced down at his rumpled single bed and sighed as she said, "I should go."

"Why?" Luke asked, cringing as his voice cracked like a teenager.

"Um, I, well… I don't know," she finished with a laugh. "I guess I don't have to get home to Rory, do I?"

Luke shook his head and tightened his hold on her, making it clear that he didn't want her going anywhere.

"You want me to stay?"

When he nodded she smiled and said, "Okay, I'll stay with you in your teeny-tiny bed."

"Thank you. Now I don't feel so cheap," he replied soberly.

Lorelai ran her hands through his hair, and then smoothed the lines of his face with her fingertips. "Make it go fast."

"Huh?"

"The divorce. Agree to whatever they want, do what you have to do, but make it go fast, okay?" she asked quietly.

"Okay."

"I don't want to be the other woman."

Luke kissed her sweetly, silencing her worries and doubts. "You never were," he whispered against her lips. He opened his eyes and met hers steadily. "You just don't get it. You were, _are_, the only woman, Lorelai. The _only_ woman."


	46. Lookin' Good

**A/N: This is the third and final Slip of the chapters I put up for auction for Support Stacie. Ninjasquid01 and Katelai ponied up a little cashola for our girl, Pooh, and claimed this one as their own. They picked an episode that proved to be a challenge for me because I had already gotten our couple naked for this one in another story, so I had to come at it from a slightly different angle. I hope that you all enjoy it, Lorelai and Luke seemed to!**

**Lookin' Good**

The miles zoomed by as the words unspoken zipped around in her head, skittering far ahead of her on the icy road and passing the slow moving Camaros that hogged the proverbial right lane. _It doesn't matter that you never bought me a Barbie. I don't care if it sounds like we're in fifth grade, you look good to me, damn good. You look so small in that hospital bed, but you're not small, you're tall. I feel so good when you hug me, safe and warm. It's cold, so icy and cold. _

Lorelai blew out a gusty breath of relief as she coasted past the welcoming Stars Hollow sign. _I'm not the only one who didn't get apple tarts. Luke made me a Santa burger with a hat and everything. I love you, Daddy. Thank you for caring enough about me, about us, to get me there and get her home._

Home. Lorelai glanced at the clock as she steered her way through the silent streets of the town. _Midnight, the witching hour._ But as she cruised through the deserted square, she felt the fear that had gripped her heart earlier that evening fall away. She was home now. Home in the sleepy, silent town that had welcomed them so long ago.

_Our town. The town that has kept us safe. The town that truly is our home. A town where people drop everything, hand over the keys to their businesses and drive hysterical, nagging women through thirty miles of sleet and ice. I need to thank him. That much I should be able to say, _she told herself sternly.

The irony of the fact that a person with so damn many words could never find the right ones to say at the right time was not lost on Lorelai Gilmore. It didn't take a PhD to know that it was a defense mechanism. A weapon honed over years and years of feeling like she didn't belong, and knowing that no matter what she said, the words that came out of her mouth would never be quite right. So, she let the others fly, coating the words that would convey what she really felt with a sleek shell so thick that the cracks wouldn't show, no matter how hard she or anyone else stomped on them. That way, she'd never again risk falling into the depths that swirled beneath.

Her shoulders sagged as she turned onto her street, letting the hours of tension slide down her arms and flow from the fingertips as she, at last, relinquished her death grip on the steering wheel. _Home, I'm almost home._

As she turned into her driveway, the Jeep's headlights caught on a set of taillights, making them glow bright red in the inky darkness. Her heart leapt and began to pound as her headlights recognized the hulking silhouette of Luke's truck parked where her Jeep normally sat. She jammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop within inches of his bumper, and yanked the keys from the ignition.

_Why is Luke here? What happened? Rory. I have to get to Rory_, the thoughts thundered through her head as she hit the front porch at a run. The front door was locked, something that made her curse under her breath as she fumbled for the right key, her brain distantly registering that a locked door was a good sign. She managed to get the stubborn deadbolt to tumble away from the catch and practically fell through the front door, dropping her purse on the floor and leaving the door ajar as she dashed toward her daughter's room.

The glow of the kitchen light spilled into the bedroom, and Lorelai clung to the doorknob for support as she blinked into the semi-darkness, panting as she made out the outline of her baby's sleeping form, and listened to the comforting sound of Rory's deep, even breathing. Taking a deep breath herself, she pressed her hand to her heart as she pulled the door closed, the quiet snick of the catch echoing through the silent kitchen. Taking a moment, she noted that the bag of salad she had left on the table was missing, and a single fork stood washed and ready in the dish rack next to a small pan, a single bowl and a lonely spoon.

_Soup. Did he make Rory some soup? _Lorelai walked over to the trash can and peered cautiously into it. A single empty can of Campbell's condensed chicken noodle soup lay discarded atop the bag of salad. She took two steps back and opened a cabinet door. Sure enough, the can she kept for emergency cases of the sniffles was missing from the shelf.

A tiny crease furrowed her brow as she turned toward the living room, noticing for the first time the golden glow of the monkey lamp on the table. Lorelai tiptoed in that direction, detouring first to the front door to shut out the icy winter wind, and then creeping cautiously into the dimly lit room. She stopped, holding herself perfectly still as she spotted Luke slumped on her couch; his booted feet planted firmly on the ground, and his ever-present ball cap slightly askew as his temple rested on his knuckles.

She circled the couch, cocking her head as she took in the flannel clad elbow propped on the worn arm of the sofa and the dark sweep of eyelashes that shadowed his cheekbones. In that moment, a tiny fissure split the protective shell around her heart.

Squatting down near the arm of the couch, she glanced toward the entryway, wondering how her dramatic entrance had failed to rouse him from his sleep. Luke snored softly, and she smiled as she lifted her hand. Millimeters from his scruffy cheek, she caught herself and drew it quickly back. Instead, she placed it gently on his arm and whispered, "Luke?"

He stirred slightly, and then pressed his cheek a little harder into the curled fingers that propped him up. She rubbed his arm gently, and then gave it a gentle squeeze. "Luke?" she called, this time a little louder.

She watched as he shifted a little on the lumpy sofa, those dark eyelashes fluttering with vague awareness. When his eyes popped open suddenly, she drew her hand back in surprise and then smiled. "Hey," she whispered.

"Oh." The word came out in a startled grunt that made her smile widen further.

"Hi." Her hand fell to his knee, resting there lightly as she tried to steady him. "What are you doing here?"

Luke licked his lips as he pushed himself up, pressing back into the cushions as he tried to blink the fog from his mind. "Rory," he croaked.

"She's fine."

Luke nodded as he glanced around the room, trying to get his bearings. "I didn't want to leave her here alone," he said, his voice raspy with sleep.

Lorelai stilled, her smile fading slightly as she felt the tiny fissure race across the now compromised shell, warming the blood in her veins as the cracks in the ice around her heart began to melt. "She's a big girl," she whispered trying to cling to the last vestige of her defenses.

"Yeah, I, uh, didn't want her to be scared. She was scared enough earlier," he said gruffly.

She forced the smile this time, pulling back and pushing up to her feet. "You're sweet."

"Am not," he grumbled as he struggled to free himself from her couch. Luke stood up and shook the legs of his jeans down over his boots. "I just, the house was empty, she's a young girl," he rambled.

Lorelai's smile warmed, lighting her eyes as she saw the faint blush creeping into his cheeks. "I appreciate it. Everything. You really went above and…"

"No problem," he said with a quick shake of his head.

"Beyond," she finished stubbornly.

Luke reached for the down vest he had draped over the back of the couch. "I should go." He glanced at his watch and said, "Bread delivery at four-thirty."

"Luke, I…" she began as she followed him toward the door.

"Your dad is doing okay?" he asked, cutting her gratitude off again.

"He's resting. He'll be fine," she answered.

"Good." Luke opened the front door and peered out into the darkened yard.

Remembering that she had blocked his truck in, she looked around the foyer for her keys, trying to pick them out of the contents of her purse scattered on the floor. "I'll move my car," she mumbled. "Keys, keys, where are my keys?"

"I can walk," he answered as he freed the tangled mess of her keychain from the lock on the outside of the door.

"But, your truck, it's cold," she protested. Her fingers brushed his as she took the proffered keychain.

"I'll be fine, I can get it tomorrow," he said as he slowly pulled his hand away and then too quickly began to shrug into the vest, his movements abrupt and jerky. He zipped the vest closed and then hesitated for a moment, looking down at her in the soft glow of the porch light as he scrambled for something to say. At last, Luke nodded stiffly and said, "Night, Lorelai."

"Night, Luke," she whispered in reply, watching as he hurried down the steps and then disappeared beyond the circle of light. "Thank you," she called after him, her voice trailing weakly off into the night.

Lorelai closed the door and leaned against it as she clutched the jumbled keychain to her chest and she looked down at the puffy blue coat she still wore. She tucked the keys into her coat pocket and slowly shed the outer layer, letting the warmth of the quiet house seep into her bones as she hung it on a hook and then walked slowly to the steps, leaving the lamps aglow to chase away the dark of the night.

****

Over three and a half hours later, Lorelai flipped her pillow over again, plumping it with the side of her fist before flopping down onto it with a huff. She held herself still, desperately trying to ignore the niggling thoughts that had kept her from drifting off to sleep. With a frustrated grunt, she pushed into the mattress and kicked her socked feet, trying to untangle the legs of the pajama pants that gripped her thighs like a boa constrictor.

Rolling onto her back, she blinked up at the ceiling picturing bow ties, and Barbies and baseball cards and wondering if Luke really did have to flirt to score her the cup of coffee that she so desperately needed. Exhaling loudly, she tried to chase the image of Luke chatting up some sexy nurse from her mind by reaching for the lamp. Groaning as the light flooded the room, she fumbled on the nightstand for her glasses and the worn paperback copy of _Anna Karenina_ that she kept there just for such occasions.

_Nothing like a little Tolstoy to put a girl to sleep_, she thought as she shoved the dark framed glasses onto her nose and opened the book to the page she had long ago dog-eared as a blatant act of rebellion.

"Dolly should have pulled a Bobbitt on old Stiva. That would have shown him," she muttered as she peered at the page. She thumbed through the next few pages of the book, looking for a natural break that she could set as a goal. Three minutes later, her focus blurred, and her mind drifted back to the couch. And Luke. And the memory of Luke curled on her couch.

_He shouldn't have been comfortable like that, but he looked comfortable. It shouldn't have felt comfortable to come home to find a grown man alone in her house with her teenaged daughter, but that grown man was Luke. Not that Luke was harmless. But Luke would never harm Rory. Ever. And Rory must have been comfortable with Luke here. Comfortable enough to curl up and go to sleep while he was in their house. On their couch. Not uncomfortable, like she had been when she came home from Hartford to find that Max Medina had slept on that very same couch._

Lorelai sighed and let the book fall open on her chest, smothering the penguins on sleds that wore Santa hats as they raced over the cozy flannel pajamas. _Flannel. His flannel shirt was so soft. Worn and washed thousands of times. Not thick and stiff like these stupid pajamas._

She closed her eyes, picturing herself swallowed up by that soft flannel shirt. _Olive drab and burgundy, dark and manly, not a Santa hat in sight. He did put a Santa hat on my burger. Ketchup and cream cheese. Disgusting. Wonderfully disgusting, _she thought with a soft sigh.

Brushing the book aside without bothering to mark the page, Lorelai sank into her pillow, her glasses cocked crookedly on her nose as she pulled the comforter up to her chin. The weight of the heavy winter blanket pressed against her. _Pressing against him, his shoulder broad and strong. Letting him take my weight, I knew he wouldn't let me down. Warm. His hand was so warm against my back. His breath hot and moist as he fumbled for the right words to say. Didn't he know he didn't need to say anything at all? Oh, but he tried. _

Lorelai's lips curved into a small smile as she recalled his rambling about handkerchiefs and revolting practices. _So Luke_, she thought with a sigh. _He never changes. Thank God. He's such a good guy. He would totally buy his kid a Barbie, just like he would never leave Rory alone in an empty house._

Her eyes suddenly popped open and she desperately searched the Rorschach patterns of dried water stains on the ceiling for the answers that lurked there. _Luke had fixed the leak in their roof. Luke had dropped everything to rush to the hospital. Luke had brought Rory home and fed her soup. Such a good guy. Luke._

Lorelai sat up in the bed, shaking her head emphatically. The heavy comforter falling to her waist as she peered at the alarm clock. _Four o'clock. Four-thirty bread delivery. Bread is good. Toast sounds so good. Do we have any bread? _she wondered.

Pushing her hair back from her face, she swung her legs from the bed and shoved her feet into a pair of pink Hello Kitty slippers. Lorelai shuffled down the stairs on a quest to satiate the sudden gnawing in her stomach, knowing that the possibility of there actually being a loaf of bread in the house was nothing but a pipe dream. After some searching, she located a decimated box of semi-stale Triscuits in one cabinet, and dug in.

Wandering back into the living room, crumbs tumbled from her lips as she reached to turn out the lamp. Her gaze strayed to the end of the couch, and she pulled her hand away as if she'd been shocked. Licking away the stray crumbs, she pictured Luke slumped against the arm. _His hair is too long_, she thought as she pictured it curling over his collar. _He never shaves_, she reminded herself as she recalled the way her fingers itched to discover if that scruff was rough or soft. _That little patch beneath his lip would be soft. Would it tickle if he kissed me? _

The box of crackers slipped from her fingers and fell to her feet. Lorelai jumped back, staring at the box as if it had fallen from the sky. She pressed her fingertips to her lips, the imaginary tingle of Luke's kiss still prickling the tender skin. Her feet began to move long before her brain caught up. When she opened the front door, a frigid blast of wind stopped her in her tracks. She turned back to the stairs, gnawing her bottom lip in indecision. The stiff wind bit through her pajamas as she whirled to peer out into the night, whipping her tangled hair around her face. Then she spotted the big green truck parked in front of her Jeep. _It looks good there_, she thought as she pushed her glasses up and squared her shoulders. _Damn good._

Lorelai pulled the puffy blue coat from its hook and pushed her arms into the sleeves, heedless of the thick flannel bunching at her elbows. Fumbling in the pockets for her gloves, she found her keys instead and pulled them free with a triumphant smile. Lorelai turned the lock and pulled the door closed behind her before dashing across the frozen yard in her slippers.

Her teeth chattered as she sped toward the square, driving too fast for the heater to have a chance to catch up. She passed the gazebo, her eyes fixed on the dim glow of lights lit in the diner and in the apartment above. Turning the corner, she saw Luke carrying a flat of packaged bread into the diner as another man pulled the rolling door closed with one hand. She parked across the street and sat in the car. Luke emerged from the kitchen wearing the same down vest he had worn a few short hours before, and came back outside to take a few more bags from the delivery man.

The engine rumbled to life, jarring her from her thoughts. Yanking on the door handle, she pushed it open with her foot and jumped down as the delivery van pulled away.

"Luke!" she called out, the brisk wind snatching the sound from her lips as he turned to climb the steps to the diner. "Luke!" she called again as she trotted across the street.

Luke whirled, shock and confusion warring on his face as he saw her stumbling toward him in her pajamas and a pair of pink bedroom slippers. "Are you okay?" he asked as she approached.

"Hey," she said breathlessly.

"Is your dad okay? Rory?" he asked in a bewildered tone.

"Yeah," she panted as she pulled her coat tighter around her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he stepped into the diner and then waved her in out of the wind.

"Thanks," she said as she pushed the door closed behind her. Her glasses fogged in the warmth of the diner, and she yanked them off, quickly wiping them with the hem of her pajama top.

"Lorelai?" he prompted.

"Huh?" she answered as she shoved the glasses back onto her face and looked up at him.

He stood in front of her, plastic wrapped bags of bread and buns dangled from each hand as he cocked his head at stared at her pointedly. "What are you doing here? Why are you up?"

Lorelai blinked rapidly as she searched her scattered thoughts for the right answer. "Um… Uh, you look good," she said with a small shrug.

"What?"

Her lips quirking at his perplexed frown, she took a step forward and pressed her icy fingertips to his stubbled cheek. "You look really good," she said softly, letting her thumb brush lightly over his bottom lip.

"What are you doing?" he asked gruffly.

"I think I'm about to kiss you," she answered as she took another small step forward. "Okay?"

"Okay," he breathed as she leaned in.

"Good." Lorelai's lips chased her thumb away, brushing over his lips with the same feathery touch. "Really good," she whispered, and then pressed her lips to his.

The patch of beard beneath his lips tickled her chin. The thick stubble that covered his cheeks rasped against hers. His lips softened as he wound his arms around her, drawing her close as the bags of bread bumped against her. Lorelai laughed, the vibration of it trembling against his mouth before she pulled back and smiled up at him.

"You're in your pajamas," he said in a deep, raspy voice.

"Your buns are rubbing my buns," she said with an impish grin.

The bags of bread and buns fell to the floor with soft thuds as his fingers spread over her back, pressing into the fluffy down of her coat. "Why are you kissing me in your pajamas?" he asked gruffly.

"You're not in my pajamas," she teased.

"Lorelai," he growled.

"Yet," she added as she pressed her fingers to his throat, letting them play along the collar of his blue thermal shirt. When he clamped his lips together, she flashed him an uncertain smile and wound the curls at the nape of his neck around the fingers on her other hand. "You look good," she whispered.

Luke ducked his head and kissed her again, letting it deepen as she pressed up against him. Too soon, Lorelai pulled away with a frustrated grunt, and let her hand slide to the zipper on his vest.

"This is in the way," she said softly.

Luke stood still, watching her carefully as she drew the zipper down. She felt his breath catch for a moment as she parted the nylon, letting her hands glide over his muscular chest as she pushed it from his shoulders. Keeping her eyes on his, Lorelai leaned back and peeled off her own coat, letting it fall on top of the forgotten bread and revealing her new holiday sleepwear. She saw his lips twitch, and glanced down self-consciously. "You don't like them? You don't find sledding penguins sexy?" she asked with a self-deprecating smile.

Luke smoothed one hand over her tousled hair and then pulled her closer with the other hand. "Oh, I do. You look good. Great," he answered.

He captured her lips, his hand sliding from her hip and up under her top as he touched the tip of his tongue to her lips. Lorelai shivered as his cool fingertips found the warmth of her skin and parted her lips, inviting the heat of his tongue. Luke coaxed her closer, pressing her body the length of his as he kissed her deeper, waiting for her to make the next move. When her tongue brushed against his, all bets were off. He kissed her hard and hot, the palm of his hand warming against the bare skin of her back as her breasts pressed into his chest. Her hands slipped from his neck to his shoulder and finally down to his arm, kneading his taut bicep as she answered his kiss with barely contained ardor.

"You don't open for an hour?" she asked as his whiskers abraded the tender skin of her neck.

"No," he whispered against the jumping pulse in her throat.

"You feel as good as you look," she said breathlessly. "Ohh," Lorelai moaned as he drew on the sensitive spot beneath her ear.

"Unbelievable," he murmured.

"Take me upstairs," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut as the sensations rippled through her body.

Luke reared back, blinking rapidly to clear the fog in his brain. "What?"

"Upstairs," she repeated without opening her eyes.

Luke wet his parched lips as he stared down at her. "Lorelai, look at me," he croaked. Her eyelashes fluttered and then she looked up at him with slumberous blue eyes. He ran his hand over her hair again, smoothing it down as he winced at the words he was about to say. "It's late. Or early. You've had a rough night," he began.

"Make it better," she coaxed.

Luke groaned softly as his fingers tangled in her hair. "I want to, okay? I really, really want to," he said, pleading for her understanding.

"But?" she said softly.

"I don't want… I couldn't stand it if you…" he attempted, and then sighed heavily as he let his head fall forward. "I'd hate it if we did something that you'd, uh, regret," he said at last.

Lorelai studied his bowed head for a moment, and then gently pulled the green ballcap away from his too-long hair. "Did you make Rory some soup?" she asked softly as she tossed the cap onto a nearby table.

"What?"

"When you got back to the house. You know, after driving me to the hospital and sitting there with us for hours, and driving my daughter home, and staying with her so she wouldn't be alone; did you make her some soup?"

"It was just the canned stuff. There wasn't much in your fridge, and I thought she'd be a little hungry," he said with a puzzled frown.

"So, you warmed her some chicken noodle soup," she concluded.

Luke nodded. "Yeah. She said your crackers were stale, by the way," he added.

"They are," she confirmed. Lorelai threaded her fingers through his hair, and smiled up at him affectionately. "I hate to break this to you, but you wouldn't be hanging out by the baseball cards."

"Huh?"

"You're not that kind of guy," she continued. "You'd buy your kid a Barbie, no matter how pink the box was."

He snorted. "I don't know about that."

"I do. I know. And I know that you are a good guy, a really good guy who looks really good, and feels really good, and tastes better than any soup I've every had and I've had some good soup, mister," she babbled. "And what girl wouldn't want a guy like that? A girl would have to be crazy not to want a guy like you, and no matter what you think about what I eat, or say, or do; I'm not crazy, Luke."

"You're not?"

Lorelai shook her head slowly. "No, I'm not. I want to be with you. And I think, unless I really am crazy and I just don't know it, I think you want to be with me."

"I am definitely _not_ crazy," he said gruffly.

"So, you do?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," he answered, looking her straight in the eye.

"Then why aren't you taking me upstairs?" she asked with a hint of a smile.

"Temporary insanity," he mumbled as he took her hand and turned toward the curtain that shielded the steps to his apartment.

"Better now?" she teased as she shuffled behind him in her slippers.

Luke turned to look at her as he held the curtain aside. "Yeah, completely over it."

"Glad to have you back," she said with a saucy grin as she ducked under his arm and started for the steps.

Luke followed her up, shaking his head at the fluffy pink slippers with the cat on them and the crazy red flannel pajamas covered in penguins. "You do wear crazy clothes," he pointed out. "It's only about ten above out there."

"They're flannel. You like flannel," she retorted.

When they reached the landing, Lorelai stepped aside, letting him lead the way into the apartment. She looked around the dark, wood-paneled apartment, taking in the shelves filled with books and trophies and the worn-but-comfortable looking furniture. A lamp shone softly on the bedside table, casting the rumpled single bed in soft gold light.

"So, this is your swinging bachelor pad," she said as she continued to look around curiously.

"This is it," he said gruffly.

"You need a bigger bed. Do you even fit in that bed?" she asked as she gestured to the twisted jumble of sheets and pillows.

"I fit in there just fine," he growled.

"I'm sorry, I meant 'we'," she corrected. "Will _we_ even fit in that bed?"

When he placed his hands on his hips and glared at her, she smiled brightly and kicked off her slippers. "Guess there's only one way to find out," she said as she dropped down onto the mattress, feeling it bounce under her. "Ooh, soft and squishy," she cooed as she stretched out on the bed, placing her glasses on his nightstand and resting her head in the indention he'd left in his pillow.

Luke stared down at her, his chest rising and falling a little faster as he took in the sight of her stretched out on his sheets with her hair tumbling over his pillow.

"Aren't you going to join me?" she beckoned. "Otherwise we'll never know how it fits."

Luke hopped on one leg and then the other as he tugged off his boots. When he heard her tinkling laugh, he looked up and shot her a quelling look. "Having fun?"

"Not yet," she answered with a grin.

Luke knelt on the edge of the mattress, bracing his hands on either side of her head and holding his body taut above her. "How 'bout now?" he asked in a deep, throaty voice.

"Almost." He lowered himself onto her, closing his eyes as she sighed contentedly under his weight. "There," she whispered as his lips hovered millimeters from hers.

"Better?"

"So much better." Lorelai cupped his ass in both hands, pulling him closer still as she murmured, "You'd better kiss me now."

Luke complied. His dark lashes lowered to his cheeks as he sank into her, kissing her soulfully. "Better?" he asked again, his lips clinging to hers as she arched against him.

"Good, so good," she breathed. She slipped her hands under his thermal shirt, seeking the warm skin of his back as he kissed her endlessly, his tongue circling hers lazily, and then drawing it into his mouth with a passion that set the soles of her feet on fire.

"Take this off," she panted, tugging his shirt as his lips traced the curve of her jaw.

He moved back, allowing her to pull the shirt up over his head before raising onto his knees to yank it from his arms.

"Oh yes," she murmured as she ran her hands appreciatively over the soft hair that covered his chest. Her fingers trailed along the faint line of down that led to the waistband of his jeans. "These too," she whispered urgently.

Luke popped the button on his jeans, his eyes locked on hers as he drew the zipper down, granting himself some much needed relief. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice rough and raspy. "I, uh, we don't have to…"

"Oh, I'm sure," she answered without hesitation, cutting off his protest as she hooked her thumbs into the faded denim and began to push them down.

Luke pushed back off of the bed and stripped his jeans off, kicking them aside as he adjusted the waistband on his boxer briefs.

"Those too," she ordered.

Luke looked down at the festive red flannel that covered her from her neck to her toes. "I'm at a disadvantage," he grumbled.

"Not my fault if you're slow," she said with a shrug. Her smiled grew as she eyes traveled the length of his body. "You look good, though."

"Thanks," he said with a smirk, and then quickly shucked his briefs.

"Really good," she amended as she sat up quickly and reached for him.

"Not so fast." Luke grasped her shoulders and pushed her back down onto the bed before stretching out beside her. He toyed with the top button on her pajama top for a moment, and then looked down at her questioningly.

"You could just pull it over my head," she suggested.

Luke smiled as he opened the first button. "Where's the fun in that?"

"More efficient. You like efficient," she reminded him.

"Only in some things," he answered as he freed another button and moved steadily down to the next.

"This is more fun for you?"

"Definitely." His fingers skimmed the creamy skin exposed by the narrow opening as he moved from one button to the next, his eyes following his progress intently.

"Well, as long as you're having a good time," she teased as he started on the last button.

It slipped from its hole, and Luke smiled as he carefully peeled back one side of her top, exposing a single pink tipped breast. "I am," he answered as he bent his head, nuzzling the swell of her breast.

"Mmm," Lorelai hummed, shivering as his coarse stubble scraped against tender skin.

"I woulda shaved," he murmured as he pressed soft kisses along the top of her breast.

"Then you wouldn't have been you," she answered softly as she wove her fingers into his hair.

"I will next time," he promised as his lips closed over the pebbled pink tip.

"Okay," she said in a rush of breath. "Next time, smooth." She arched her back, pushing into his mouth, begging him to take more. "This time rough," she whispered as he suckled her deeply.

Lorelai moaned as he brushed aside the other half of her shirt, covering her breast with the palm of his hand and curling his long fingers around her. A soft mewl of frustration caught in her throat as he lifted his head, and Luke smiled as he moved to claim her other nipple.

Fueled by the tiny grunts and soft moans that spilled from her kiss swollen lips, he teased the wet tip of her breast with demanding fingers while teasing her other nipple with his circling tongue.

"Harder," she huffed, her fingers clutching his hair.

Luke drew deeply on her, scraping his teeth over the beaded tip as he covered her other breast with his hand, kneading the soft mouth roughly.

"Oh yes," Lorelai whispered as he pressed his straining erection against her thigh. "Naked. I want to be naked."

His lips refused to relinquish their hold on her breast, sucking hard and hot as she fumbled to help his free hand with her pants. With a deep grunt, he finally acquiesced, pushing back and planting one foot on the floor as he stripped off her pajama bottoms, dragging her panties with them. Before they even hit the floor, his mouth was on her stomach, planting urgent, open-mouth kisses to the feminine curve as his hands glided over her hips and down to her thighs.

Meaningless words of encouragement and whole-hearted approval fell from her lips as he moved steadily lower, his beard tickling her hip, and then scraping tantalizingly over the inside of her thigh. She grasped his head in both hands, letting her knees fall open wantonly as her hips circled, her body pleading for more.

She gasped as his fingers grazed the folds of her sex, unerringly finding the sensitive bud that peeked from her dark curls. She convulsed with a shock of pleasure as he stroked her gently, parting her folds until she was revealed to him.

"Lorelai," he said, low and reverent as he caressed her with his lips.

She cried out softly as his tongue circled her, lifting her hips from the bed and pushing up to him.

Luke drew her into his mouth, sucking gently as he trailed his fingertips through her damp flesh. He looked up, lifting his head when he saw her watching him. "Good?" he asked with a smile that told her that he already knew the answer.

"Muh," she muttered as she pulled him back to her.

Luke continued to smile as he dipped his head again, swirling his tongue through her heated folds and then pressing his finger to her entrance. When she undulated against the teasing digit, he drew her into his mouth, sucking demandingly as he pushed into her.

"Yes, yes," she chanted as he began to stroke her.

She shuddered as he curled his finger inside of her, teasing her walls with every thrust. Lorelai closed her eyes and let herself go, reveling sensations created by his mouth, giving herself over to each caress of his hand. When Luke pulled back again, her eyes flew open. "No!" she rasped.

He continued to stroke her slowly, his eyes fixed on her. "I want you," he said deep and soft.

Lorelai's smile was tremulous and her eyelashes fluttered as another wave of liquid hot pleasure flowed through her veins. "Come here," she said as she opened her arms to him.

Luke looked deep into her eyes, his hand continuing to stroke her gently as he stretched out beside her once again. Lorelai turned her head, unwilling to break the connection until her lips found his. "Come closer," she whispered coaxingly.

"Gimme a minute," he said gruffly.

This time it was Lorelai's smile that turned smug. "Excited?" she asked teasingly.

"Nah," he growled as he withdrew his hand and rolled over on top of her. Lorelai laughed as the air squeezed from her lungs. She pushed at his shoulders to make him ease up a bit, and Luke grinned down at her. "Maybe a little," he said gruffly. "But you are too." With that, he brushed his damp fingers over her red lips. He saw her eyes widen and then heat as she parted her lips, drawing his fingers into her mouth and laving them with her tongue.

Luke groaned and pulled his hand away as if he had been scorched. "Damn," he breathed.

"Better now?" she asked tauntingly.

He dropped his afflicted hand to her thigh, drawing her leg up onto his hip as he positioned himself in the cradle of her hips. Luke's eyes narrowed, but bored into hers as he pressed forward, waiting patiently for her to open for him.

Lorelai sighed softly as the tip of his cock sank into her, her hands sliding down his back to cup the firm muscle of his ass. She wriggled slightly beneath him, and she saw his eyes roll back as he pushed into her, burying himself in her velvety heat.

When he held himself still, pulsing deep inside of her, Lorelai smiled affectionately and stroked his back soothingly. "You okay? Wanna stare at your shoes for a minute?"

Luke laughed breathlessly as he opened his eyes and peered down at her. "You look good in my bed."

"Good how?"

"Like you belong here," he answered without hesitation.

Lorelai sucked in a sharp breath as he began to move, stroking her slowly. "Luke," she exhaled. Her voice wavered as the cracks in that brittle shell spread.

"I like you here," he said as he braced himself on his elbows, moving faster as he stared down into her eyes. The fissures split, fueled by the heat of his gaze, shooting out in a web over her heart and capturing it.

Lorelai wet her lips, unable to look away. She reached up to grip his bicep in an attempt to steady herself. Her breath came in puffs as she held on tightly.

Luke's brow creased as he blinked down at her, bewildered by her uncharacteristic silence. He slowed, missing the soft sighs and tiny moans that had punctuated the air just minutes before. "Lorelai?"

She smiled weakly, moved by the genuine concern in his voice. "See what happens when you get cocky?" she whispered as she wrapped her long legs around him, holding him tight.

"Oh god," he groaned, responding viscerally to the shift in angle.

"You feel so good," she murmured as she pressed her lips to his throat. With a throaty grunt, he began to move faster again. "You taste so good."

"Ah geez," Luke muttered as he slid one hand under her bottom, pulling her up to him.

Lorelai pressed her head back into the striped pillowcase as she looked up at him with hooded eyes. "You look good inside of me," she said in a low, soft voice.

A low rumbling groan rolled through him, vibrating up from his chest as he followed her down, buying his nose in her hair as he drove into her. His lips found the throbbing pulse in her neck, breathing against it as she tightened around him.

One hand tangled in his hair as the other grasped his ass, pulling him toward her with each movement. His breath hot on her ear, his beard rasping against her cheek. She moaned loudly, every muscle in her body pulled taut, as his rippled under her fingertips.

Lorelai cried out, the heat spearing through her body as pleasure overwhelmed her. Her lips moved soundlessly against his temple as her fingers sipped from his hair to his neck, caressing it gently as he chased after her.

Luke slowed, still moving instinctively inside her as he shuddered through the dregs of his release. "I couldn't sleep," he confessed, his voice hoarse. "I woke up and saw you there."

"Did I scare you?" she whispered, her smile warm as she stroked his neck and shoulders.

Luke shook his head as he lifted it. "All I could see was you."

Lorelai's smile widened as she ran her fingertips over his scruffy cheek and then stroked the tuft of beard below his full lower lip. "I couldn't sleep either," she said softly.

Luke smiled in answer and snuggled back into her neck. "Am I crushing you?"

"You feel good."

"Good isn't a good enough word," he mumbled. Relaxing against her, he closed his eyes as her busy hands continued to glide over his body. "I can't believe you're here," he sighed.

"I am here," she confirmed.

"You don't wanna know how many times I've pictured you here."

Lorelai smiled. "You must be sleep deprived, you're spilling all your secrets."

"Don't care."

Lorelai turned her head, catching a glimpse of his alarm clock. "Do you care that you only have fifteen minutes to open?" she asked.

"Not really."

"Okay, but I have to get home to Rory soon," she said quietly.

Luke perked up, pushing up onto his elbows and peering down at her. "Yeah, we need to get you home."

"I can get myself home."

Luke's brow furrowed. "I'll take you home."

Lorelai smiled and shook her head. "You can't, your truck is at my house."

"Did you drive here?"

"Yeah."

"I'll drive you home and then get my truck," he said with a nod.

Shaking her head again, she said, "You can't. You have to open, and anyway your truck would wake Babette up, and it would be easier to explain it being there than why you're backing out of my driveway at the crack of dawn."

"Easier to explain?" he asked, bristling.

Lorelai cupped his chin and rose up to kiss his lips. "I'm not explaining anything to Babette before I get a chance to talk to Rory."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh," she said with a nod.

"Will she… Do you think she'll be okay with it?"

"With us or with me sneaking out in the middle of the night to jump you?" Lorelai asked with a naughty grin.

"With us," he grumbled.

"I think so. I just need to talk to her about it."

"I can't just send you home," he complained.

"You can make it up to me by taking me to dinner tonight. I never got my burger."

"Deal. Stay for breakfast?" he asked hopefully.

"I wore my pajamas over here," she reminded him.

"Right. Good, no one will suspect a thing," he concluded.

"Good point." As he pulled away from her and sat back on his heels, Lorelai sat up and wound her arms around his neck. Lifting her lips for another kiss, she whispered, "French toast?"

Luke smirked and said, "I've got something French for you," and then kissed her deeply.

He flashed that cocky smile as he pulled back and then leaned over the edge of the bed to retrieve her top. Lorelai gave his butt a playful swat, making him jerk back, and smiled at him sweetly as she plucked the pajama top from his fingers. "Just for that, you're making me something festive. I'm thinking snowman pancakes with lots of whipped cream, Santa hash browns with ketchup hats, and sausage presents wrapped with bacon bows."

"That's disgusting."

"Says the man who piped cream cheese onto a burger," she sassed as she slipped it over her arms. "Mayo would have worked better, but I appreciate the effort."

"I'll keep that in mind for the next time I suffer an aneurysm," he mumbled as he pulled on his boxer briefs.

Lorelai pushed another button through its hole and then rose up on her knees. Hooking her fingers into the waistband and pulling him back to the edge of the bed. She pressed her hand to the center of his chest, feeling the steady strum of his heart against her fingertips. "You know, you're not a bad guy," she said coyly.

"Thanks."

"As a matter of fact, you're pretty sweet."

"Cut it out," he muttered, a smile betraying his pleasure at her words.

"I like you," she said quietly.

Luke slipped his hand into her dark hair, letting it slide slowly through his fingers. "I like you too. A lot."

"Enough to put green food coloring in my scrambled eggs?"

"Green eggs? You want ham with that?"

Lorelai grinned as she climbed from the bed, looking around for her pants. "I would like them on a date, I would like them on my plate," she teased.

"Ah geez," he groaned as he climbed into his jeans.

"I would eat them at a table, I would find my socks if I was able."

"No coffee unless you stop."

Lorelai grinned as she pulled her panties up and wriggled them over her hips. "I love coffee and you like tea, you'll give me coffee 'cause you like me."

Luke reached for her, his hands sliding possessively over the satin covering her bottom as he pulled her to him and shut her up the most effective way that he knew how.


	47. I'd Rather Be In Your Arms

**A/N: Oh poor neglected Slip, how could I have done this to you? Never fear, we'll get you back into the swing of things (hee, swing) slowly and gently. ;)**

**This is a little chapter that I like to think of as 'Choose your own morality'. I will not be addressing Lorelai's marital status; therefore you are free to choose whatever scenario you please. It can be as moral or immoral as you like, that is between you and your own higher power. **

**I'd Rather be in Your Arms**

They were a sign. The green lights that paved her way out of New Haven had to be a sign. She wouldn't stop. She couldn't stop, not until she was back where she belonged. There would be no stopping. Red lights be damned. She wouldn't stop, she couldn't think. She had to keep moving forward. There would be no looking back. What happened before didn't matter. The things they did to each other didn't mean anything. Nothing had changed. Nothing else mattered.

Lorelai slowed and coasted toward the town square. The light that hung at the intersection burned bright red, taunting her, daring her to stop. She rolled through the light and stopped just past it. Yanking the keys from the ignition, she didn't stop to think. Thinking would do her no good. Thinking is what got her into this mess in the first place. Feeling is what would get her out. Feeling is what propelled her toward the door. She felt her way along the sill above it, reveling in the pleasure that coursed through her body as her cold fingers wrapped around an even colder key. She pushed it into the lock, smiling as the tumblers fell in the lock.

Groping her way through the darkened diner, she counted her steps, tracing that oh-so-familiar path that would lead her back to him. She kept moving forward, creeping up the darkened stairwell, feeling the smooth wood paneling gliding against her palm. Her heart beat a sharp staccato as she reached the landing. Her knuckles rapped in time with it on the frosted glass in the door. A lamp came on. A gruff, raspy voice cursed as he stumbled across the floor.

The door opened, and she heard the confusion in his voice as he said simply, "Lorelai?"

"Fish bag," she whispered in response, throwing herself at him.

He caught her, she knew that he would. He caught her, his arms wrapping around her, holding her strong and firm in this place where she belonged.

Her lips sought his, giving him all of the explanation that she had as she kissed him soulfully. When they parted, she opened her eyes slowly, as if she were not quite sure if she would still find him there.

"What…"

"Fish bag," she said again.

"What about it?"

"You still love me," she asserted, her confidence growing as every second ticked past. She kissed him again, bending into him, knowing that he would never let her down again. Not now. Not when she was finally back where she belonged.

Their lips parted once again, and he rested his forehead against hers. "Maybe I was just being thoughtful," he suggested in a low, gravelly voice.

"No. Thoughtful was the burgers, the sandwiches, even the salads. The pie and the cookies were thoughtful, very thoughtful, but the fish bag… You still love me."

Luke took a small step back, his hands sliding to the achingly familiar spot on her hips that they always found. "Lorelai, I…"

"You still love me and I still love you. I didn't know how much I loved you until I heard you say 'lobster roll' but there you go, there's no changing it," she said firmly. "Only a man in love makes fish tacos. Only a man who loves me would include fish sticks."

Luke tucked his chin to his chest. "I don't know what to say."

"Tell me. Tell me you still love me. For once, just this once, I need you to say it. I'll let your actions speak from now on, I promise."

"I do. I do love you, Lorelai. I always have. I can't believe I let you doubt that," he said quietly.

"If I ever doubt it again, I'll just think of that disgusting fish bag." Lorelai slid her hand into his tousled hair. "Now show me," she whispered, tipping her face up to his.

He kissed her. He kissed her so passionately that she felt it to the tips of her toes. He touched her, caressing her back so reverently she felt precious to him. He held her, his arms wrapped around her so tightly that there was no doubt in her mind that he would never let her go again.

And she was right, nothing else mattered. Nothing that happened before mattered as his lips slid over hers. Every kiss that they had ever shared drifted away as a faint memory as his tongue touched hers. Her hands burrowed under the hem of his thermal shirt, seeking the heat of his skin, soaking it in through her fingertips. "I need to feel you," she whispered as he trailed kisses along her jaw. "I want to feel this again."

Pulling away from her, his hands slid down her arms until he captured hers. He wrapped his long fingers around hers, warming them in the palms of his hands as he drew her deeper into the apartment, leading her to his rumpled bed.

"Nothing has felt right," he said softly. "The bed is too big, too empty. My life is too quiet. I meant what I said, Lorelai. I don't care about anything if you're not here sharing it with me."

"Shh," she whispered, pressing her lips to his to silence him. "It doesn't matter. Nothing matters but this."

Luke kissed her again, starting off soft and sinking deeper and deeper as her body molded to his. She pressed her hands to his back, reveling in the play of his hard muscles beneath taut skin. She pushed his shirt up, anxious to get to him, desperate to claim him as her own once more.

Luke allowed her to toss the shirt aside, shivering as the combination of cool air on his chest and Lorelai's fingernails raking through his chest hair made his nipples tighten. Her fingers slid over his stomach, and she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of his sweats, dragging his boxer briefs down as she pushed them over his hips. He wrapped his fingers around her wrists to still her hands.

"Lorelai?"

"Want to feel you," she insisted. "Please."

Luke ducked his head and kissed her hungrily, still gripping her wrists tightly. When he broke the kiss, he released his hold on her and pushed the coat and scarf from her shoulders. Lorelai stood still, letting her coat fall to the floor, closing her eyes in near rapture as he raised her shirt up over her stomach. She raised her arms, silently asking him to remove it, needing to be stripped of all barriers between them. The straps of her bra slid down her arms, and she shook it free, letting it drop to the growing pile of fabric on the floor. She unbuttoned her own jeans, dropping down onto the edge of the bed to remove her boots, all the while staring up at him, unwilling to let him out of her sight.

When she stood to take off her jeans, Luke pushed his own sweats and briefs down over his hips, his eyes locked on her as she made quick work of the remainder of her clothing. She straightened, and he pulled her into his arms, simply holding her close for a moment as they stood skin to skin.

"Oh Luke," she whispered, a sob sticking in her throat.

"I'm here," he assured her, his fingers smoothing over her sleek ponytail, and then gently freeing it from the band that held it back. "Come here," he said gruffly, pulling her toward the bed, and holding the covers back for her to join him there.

Lorelai curled up against him, cushioning her cheek on his chest as the tears she had held back all day threatened to seep from her eyes. "It's okay, it's okay," he murmured.

"I was so scared," she murmured.

"I know."

"I was all alone. Rory had Logan there, and my mother… My mother was crazy, wearing a sweat suit and all wrapped up in cedar plank salmon and complaining about the service at the club," she wept. "And my dad, he was so small, just laying there talking about Tucson and Philadelphia and W.C. Fields."

"Shh, he's fine," Luke murmured.

"I know, I know," she sobbed, hiccupping softly, feeling his heart beating against her cheek. "I was alone."

The unspoken question hung in the air, hovering above the bed as he soothed her with tender caresses. He held her tightly, not giving a fraction of an inch as he absorbed each shudder. The tension, worry and doubt of the day, the week, the months and the better part of a year spilled out of her and seeped into his skin.

"It doesn't matter," she said at last. "I saw you there and nothing else mattered. I saw you and everything was right, I wasn't alone, I can't be alone because there's always you."

"I'll always be here."

Lorelai nodded, letting him dry her tears with his pad of his thumb. "I love you," she whispered.

Luke kissed the top of her head. "I love you too," he said softly. "Sleep."

"Fish bag," she murmured as she snuggled closer, pressing her body the length of his, and relaxing into him.

"Yeah, I brought you a fish bag," he whispered as he blinked up at the ceiling, willing his mind to catch up to what was happening, but unable to hold his heavy eyelids up any longer. He wrapped his other arm around Lorelai, binding her to his side, her soft skin smooth under his fingers as he drifted off to sleep.

Hours later, Lorelai stirred as the pre-dawn light crept into the still apartment. She stretched, pressing the length of her body against his, and for the first time in a long time, not pausing to wonder where she was or how she got there. Lorelai knew that she was exactly where she needed to be, just as she knew that he was the only man she had ever needed to feel whole.

She pressed her lips to his chest, feeling it rise and fall steadily, and smiling at his soft snore. She kissed him again, shifting onto her side and showering his skin with soft sweet kisses. He didn't say a word as he awakened. Instead, his fingers sought her soft, fragrant hair, sliding through the dark tresses as she kissed her way up his throat. He groaned, soft and low, letting the sound reverberate around them as he drew his skin into her mouth and sucked gently.

Her breasts pressed into his chest as she rolled onto him, their beaded tips teasing him as she stretched out on top of him. His hands slid up her back, his fingertips tracing each bump in her spine. She moved on top of him, pressing against his growing arousal as her mouth found his. She kissed him deeply, eschewing tender overtures in favor of fusing her lips to his, needing to feel his tongue dancing that sensuous slow dance with hers.

Lorelai sighed, rising up slightly as she continued to kiss him, moaning into his mouth as he hands closed over her breasts. Her moan turned into an aching groan as his fingers teased her nipples into taut points, pinching them lightly. She writhed against him, trapping his hardness between their bodies.

Luke grunted softly and gripped her hips, pulling her down firmly as he ground against her, his lips, teeth and tongue met each of her kisses as passionately as they were given. Lorelai bracketed his head with her forearms, her tongue circling his as she lifted her hips. She pulled back, staring down into his eyes as she lowered herself again, the tip of his cock brushing against her soft curls.

His hands stilled; his fingers curling into her soft flesh. "I…" he said breathlessly.

"You," she answered as she pressed down onto him. "You brought me a bag of fish."

"Lorelai," he rasped.

"Luke," she answered with a knowing smile. He groaned loudly as she sank down, enveloping him in her heat.

She stayed close to him, kissing him tenderly as she began to move, catching his soft pants with her mouth. "This is right," she murmured against his lips.

"So right," he agreed, his hands playing over her skin, caressing every bit of her that he could reach.

They moved together easily, their bodies remembering that which their hearts could never forget. Soft kisses intermingled with heated caresses, throaty moans were echoed by strangled gasps, and whispered pleas met with fervent promises. When they lay spent, he held her to him, his hands tangled in her hair.

"You know this is it, right?" he said at last.

"I know." She kissed his neck, reveling in the feel of his prickly stubble against her tender lips.

"You and me. Together."

"You and me. This is a fine kettle of fish."

"Ha ha," he said dryly.

"I guess you're stuck with me," she said with a sly smile.

"I guess so."

"If it makes you feel better, I seem to be stuck with you too."

"That does make me feel better," he answered with an affectionate smile.

"Good, 'cause I'm staying put."

"Good," he echoed.

Lorelai smiled as she burrowed into his neck, hanging onto him. "There's no place I'd rather be."


	48. Sanity Returns

**A/N: I took a lot of liberties with this episode. I also took quite a few with Lorelai and Luke, but they never seem to mind too terribly. I hope that you all had a wonderful New Year. I want to personally thank you for making 2009 one of the most satisfying years of my life. Here's to an amazing 2010! **

**Sanity Returns**

I don't know what happened. I don't know how I got here, how this started or why I'm doing it. One minute we were talking, bantering just as we always do; the next, he was kissing me. He's kissing me. His hands skimmed the coat from my shoulders. I felt it fall to my feet in a heap, and all I can say is that it seemed like a good idea at the time. I pushed his over his shoulders, yanking it down his arms, and then grappled with the front of his shirt. His arms were around me, pulling me to his chest, taking me down as he began to sink to the ground. Heat flashed under my skin and I reached up to steady myself. My fingers brushed against his cheek. His skin was so smooth, not at all what I expected. It was smooth and clean shaven, all but the spot where my fingers settled. This spot on his jaw was coarse, a tiny patch of stubble missed by his razor. That patch saved me from making one of the worst mistakes of my life. Far, far worse than any of my previous mistakes, the long list of mortal and venial sins that had been so callously laid at my feet earlier in the evening.

"Luke," I gasped as his lips sought the skin of my neck.

His head jerked up as if I'd sent a jolt of electricity through him. "Luke?" Christopher repeated in a stunned tone.

"Chris," I croaked.

"Luke? Who's Luke?" he persisted, pulling away from me.

"Luke's my friend," I said, finally finding a reasonable facsimile of my own voice.

"Luke, the diner guy?"

I didn't like the way he said that. I could hear the derision rippling through the disbelief in his voice. "Luke owns the diner, yes," I stated challengingly.

"I'm kissing you and you're thinking about the diner guy?"

"Stop calling him that," I said, pushing away from him and stumbling against the balustrade of the balcony. I looked up at him as I straightened my skirt, thanking the heavens above that I had come to my senses. "We have to go." Bending down, I snatched up my coat and started for the window that leads into my childhood bedroom.

"Wait! Lore, you can't just do this," Christopher protested as he grabbed my arm to stop me.

I looked up at him, shaking my head slowly as I saw the hurt and confusion in his eyes. "I'm not this girl anymore, Chris," I said quietly. "I can't live my life letting disappointment drive me into doing things I know I shouldn't be doing. I can't do that anymore. I have Rory," I explained with a helpless shrug.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that this would be so easy," I said, losing my grip on my patience. "Too easy." The balcony suddenly seemed far too small to hold the both of us and all of our baggage. "Can't you see that?"

"All I see is you," he answered, desperation giving his voice a most unattractive edge.

I couldn't help but smile. His response was just so typically Christopher, that it's no wonder that it's so hard to resist him. I reached out, letting my thumb brush over that small patch of stubble as I caressed his cheek. "I'll always love you, Chris, but I don't want this. This isn't what I need."

"And the diner guy? He can give you what you need?" he asked, incredulous.

I yanked my hand away, bristling once again. I couldn't help but wonder why people kept pushing me about Luke. Don't they know that I'll get there when I get there? First it was my mother, then it was Sookie, then my mother took another turn; baiting me into admitting something I wasn't ready to admit, and then using it to bludgeon me.

"Luke is my friend. Maybe there's something more there, maybe there isn't; but yes, Luke probably is more capable of giving me what I need than you are. If you even remotely knew who I am now, you would know that." With that, I ducked through the window. Once my feet hit the floor, I took off for the bedroom door, anxious to find Rory.

It was a quiet ride home. Rory attempted to slice through the tension to ask where Christopher and I had been, but in a rare display of parental solidarity we both stonewalled her. I didn't feel good about that, but not feeling good seemed to be the rule of the night. I knew that Chris was watching me, but I didn't care. I couldn't let myself care. I didn't want to fall back into all of that. No one could possibly understand that I just couldn't do it. They just didn't know what the past six months had cost me.

Allowing my parents back into my life meant that I had to leave myself open to nights like tonight. It had taken me years to get past all of the agony and self-doubt. It had taken me over a decade to get comfortable in the life I had created for Rory and me. Nights like tonight, nights laden with resentment and recrimination, these were the nights that threatened to destroy all that I had worked so hard to build up. I just couldn't let that happen. Christopher was a lightning rod. A wrecking ball that could topple the life I had so carefully constructed like it was a house of cards. Christopher, and all of the baggage that came along with his sporadic cameos in our lives, was simply a risk I could not and would not take.

We cruised into Stars Hollow and I slowed as we approached the square. My eyes locked on the dimly lit diner, and I could see Luke moving around inside, pulling a tarp from a table. I jerked to a stop in the middle of the street, and put the car in park.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked, leaning forward between the seats.

"I'm supposed to help Luke paint tonight," I said as I opened the car door.

"You're going to paint?" she asked with a bewildered frown. "Now?"

"Yeah, I told you that, remember?"

"But I thought…" Rory stammered as she glanced at Christopher.

"You guys go on. I'll be home later," I told her as I pulled the seat forward so that she could get out.

Rory climbed from the back seat and stood in front of me, her blue eyes probing my face for answers. "You aren't dressed for painting."

"I'll borrow a shirt from Luke or something. I look great in plaid," I added with a small smile.

"When will you be home?"

"It may be late," I told her. Kissing Rory's cheek, I turned toward the diner without sparing Chris another glance. He needed to know that I knew what I was doing.

The problem was that I didn't know what I was doing. I certainly didn't intend to run from Christopher's arms into Luke's. That was not the plan. The only thing that I knew for sure was that I needed to be someplace where I felt comfortable, and there was no place I felt more comfortable than Luke's. Except my house, but I couldn't go to my house just then, so Luke's it was.

The bells jingled as I burst through the door. "Stop!"

Luke looked up, and then lowered his arms, letting the drop cloth he had pulled from a table fall to the floor. "You're late."

"I know, I'm sorry," I said as I closed the door. "We had a date and I stood you up, but I'm here now."

"It wasn't a date, it was just to paint," he grumbled as he kicked the drop cloth with his boot.

"I'm here now," I repeated.

"You know, I really didn't even want to do it in the first place."

I rushed toward him, suddenly filled with the urgent need to paint with this man. "No, no come on, don't change your mind. We could do it tonight. Right now," I implored, grabbing his arm as he reached for the next cloth.

Luke stopped and turned those penetrating blue eyes on me. It was all I could do to keep from cringing under the weight of that stare. "Was it an emergency?"

I nodded emphatically. "Yes. You would not believe what happened. I slipped and I busted my…" I trailed off, knowing that he wasn't buying a word of what I was saying. "It wasn't an emergency. It was just me being a rat," I admitted.

Luke's gaze didn't waver, damn him. "Something came up?"

"Yeah."

He nodded slowly, and then I did cringe. I cringed when I saw the disappointment in his eyes. "Something.... Someone," he concluded.

"Luke," I whispered pleadingly.

"Am I right?" he persisted, his eyes boring into mine.

"I'm sorry."

"Let's just forget it," he said, turning his attention to the canvas covered table again.

"No, Luke, please. I came here because I didn't want to let you down."

"You're not letting me down," he said gruffly.

"I am! I am, and I hate that," I cried.

"It's no big deal, Lorelai."

Why was it that whenever Luke said my name it felt like a caress? He never shortened it. Always Lorelai. For some reason, it sounded different when he said it. Perhaps it was because he always sounded a little hoarse. There was something affectionate about the way he said it. I couldn't help but think that maybe there was something a little sexual about the timbre of that deep voice. I liked that I wanted to hear more of it, so when he stripped the cloth from the table, I grabbed a chair, pulled it down, and dropped into it. Without looking up at him, I bent over and began to unzip my boots.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting comfortable," I answered as the first boot fell to the floor. "I don't want to ruin my clothes, though. Give me your shirt."

"What?"

"The flannel. Hand it over," I ordered, unzipping the second boot.

"I'm not giving you my shirt," he scoffed.

"You planned to paint in it, right? You have a t-shirt on under it. Give me this one," I said, tugging at the hem of the worn plaid. When he hesitated, I couldn't resist ribbing him a little. "Come on, Luke, all I want is the shirt. You can keep your class ring until after the third date."

Luke rolled his eyes and then peered down at me. "You really want to do this now?"

"I really want to do this now," I confirmed, looking him straight in the eye.

The fact that he began to unbutton the flannel told me that he was either intentionally ignoring the double meaning hidden in my words, or he was completely clueless. It didn't really matter which it was, I decided as he shrugged the shirt from his broad shoulders. Maybe Sookie had been right. Maybe he had read too much into the desperate phone call she had made when Stella had flown the coop. If that was the case, I couldn't really blame him for being a little obtuse at the moment. The shirt dangled from his fingertips, and I let my eyes travel the length of his arm. Fine, dark hair covered his forearm. The muscle flexed beneath the skin, bringing to mind visions of Popeye squeezing spinach from a tin can. Forcing my gaze further north, I caught a fleeting glimpse of dark ink staining his bicep. I must have sucked in a breath, because Luke looked down at me, his brows tightly knit. I forced my lips to curve into a smile as I rose. "Thank you."

"I'll, uh; I'll pour some paint in the pans. We should start with the trim." I snickered when he said 'trim,' I couldn't help it. Luke shot me a glare, and I knew that we were back on even footing again. "How was dinner?" he asked as he pried the lid from one of the cans.

"Ah, dinner," I murmured, trying to find the right words to describe it. "Dinner was Chernobyl and the Hindenburg combined."

"That good, huh?"

"It was horrible. Christopher's parents were there. I haven't seen these people since Rory was a baby; and let me tell you, they haven't changed."

Luke squatted over one of the paint trays, watching the lighter color flow from the can. "Since Rory was a baby?"

"Yeah. They're nuts. I mean, here's this girl, their own granddaughter; and she's beautiful and smart and sweet and everything a sixteen year old girl should be, you know?"

"I know," he answered without hesitation.

"They weren't interested."

Luke looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"

"All that his father wanted to do was talk about how I seduced his son and ruined his life, all of their lives!"

"Seduced his son? Weren't you sixteen?"

"Fifteen at the time," I corrected with a smirk.

"Wow."

"I know! I didn't even know how powerful I was."

"Well, now you do," he said with a smirk.

You see, that's what was so great about Luke. He may say something that sounds like he isn't saying anything, but those eyes and that wry smile; they were all that I needed to know that he was completely on my side. I slipped my arms into his shirt, pulling it closed around me and snuggling into its warm comfort.

"Rory heard it all," I said softly. The smirk faded from his face as Luke straightened up. "She heard them saying that she was the reason Christopher's life was ruined, that she kept him from going to Princeton. That because she was born, her mother was reduced to working in a hotel."

I saw his lips thin into a grim line, and I knew that if Straub Hayden had been nearby, he'd be having Luke's fist surgically removed from his face. I felt a rush of pleasure flooding my veins, and in that moment I knew that he wouldn't simply be defending the family name or my daughter's honor if he could clock the old man one. "My father defended me," I told him. "He kicked them out of the house."

"Good."

"He said it was only because a member of his family was being attacked," I said grimly. Pulling the flannel closer, I tipped my chin up in defiance. "Then he proceeded to tell me that I had ruined my life."

"What the hell?"

"It's the Gilmore way," I answered, trying to shrug it all off.

"That's a crock," he said angrily.

"That's how they see it, Luke."

"Look at what you've done!"

"I didn't do what I was supposed to do."

"What were you supposed to do?"

Watching him carefully, I said simply, "I was supposed to marry Christopher."

He flinched. I saw it; he flinched as the words left my lips. The rush of pleasure I had felt when he bristled on my behalf was nothing compared to the flood of happy that that tiny tic unleashed. It even scared me a little. Of course, it didn't scare me enough to make me back off. Not this time.

"Are we going to do this?" he asked, bending to dip a brush into the paint pooled in the pan.

I smiled, I admit it. I smiled because his abrupt change of subject was the green light I needed. "And Christopher," I said, shaking my head. "He's like Peter Pan, the eternal boy. Well, Peter Pan packing a flask of Cuervo Gold."

"Yeah, well, you've gotta be able to fly," he grumbled as he wiped the excess paint from the brush a tad too forcefully.

"After the run in with my dad, I just had to escape for a few minutes, you know? I went out onto the balcony outside of my room, just to clear my head." Releasing my grasp on his shirt, I inhaled deeply and took a stepped forward. "I didn't even talk to Rory first. I should have talked to Rory, but I just couldn't. My head was spinning. All of this stuff, all of those old memories dredged up. And then, Christopher decided to join me on that little trip down memory lane."

"I think we should start with the windows and then hit the door frames," Luke said tersely.

I watched as he stalked to the nearest window and began to slather the casing with paint. "Chris and Jose climbed out of the window and offered me the same comfort that they used to give sixteen years ago," I said flatly. I saw him clench his jaw as I moved in behind him. "He kissed me. He kissed me and I kissed him back. There we were on the balcony, hiding from our parents, just like we used to; making out on the balcony like the teenagers we once were."

When Luke didn't react, I laced my fingers together, twisting them around one another as I chewed the inside of my cheek. "That night that Stella escaped, why did you think I called you?"

Luke's head swiveled; and I could actually see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to catch up. "What?"

"You didn't think I had a chick loose in the house. What did you think?"

Luke stared at me for a moment, his mouth agape as he struggled to come up with a plausible excuse. "I, uh, I didn't think anything," he said at last.

"He kissed me," I said as I took another step forward, my bare toes bumping against his scuffed boots. "He was kissing me, holding me; but all I could think about, all I could say was 'Luke.'"

"Luke?"

"I wasn't supposed to be there, kissing Christopher. I was supposed to be here, painting with you. I wanted to be here. With you," I said, finally daring to look up at him.

"Me?"

"You, the guy who comes running when there's a chick loose in my house; the guy who would never, ever, sit idly by while _anyone_ implied that my daughter was a mistake; the man who lets me sing painting songs," I added with a sly smile.

"No singing," he rasped.

"No singing," I promised as I took the brush from his hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Putting this down," I replied, and then I tossed the brush toward the paint pan resting on the floor. When it landed with the handle in the reservoir, I couldn't help but laugh. It just seemed so typical for the way my night was going. I turned back to face him, and smiled at how wide his blue eyes had become. "Luke," I whispered.

That was how it happened. I knew exactly what I was doing, precisely what I wanted, and I was getting it. One minute he was standing there staring at me as if I had lost my mind, just like he always does; the next, he was kissing me. He was kissing me, and I was kissing him back with everything that I had. When his arms came around me, I sighed. When he pressed me to the solid wall of his chest, I moaned. I couldn't get close enough to him. I wanted to tear that soft, grey t-shirt from his body and crawl right inside of him. The heat, that prickling heat under my skin, it was back. But this time, it was different. It was more than heat. There was warmth.

I could feel the warmth of his embrace down to my toes; the same embrace that gave me comfort, the same embrace I had been both craving and eluding for the past six months. I knew that night when we played poker at the counter what it would feel like. I knew, when he held me in that hospital corridor, that I would never want him to let me go. He almost kissed me, that night when a chick was running wild in my house. He almost kissed me, here in the diner, behind that counter. Finally, he was; and all I could think was, 'At last.'

I felt his hands on my back, strong and firm. I felt his tongue touch my lips, soft and seeking. I wound myself around him as my tongue tangled with his, my mouth opening wide to get as much of him as I possibly could. He tasted so good, warm and sweet with just a hint of peppermint. Tea, it had to be from his tea, and the fact that I knew that was possibly even more arousing than the feel of my breasts flattened against his chest. Or not. That was a toss-up. I needed to breathe, but I didn't want it to stop.

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with fear. Fear that I'd never draw a breath again, and fear that if I did, I'd never feel his mouth on mine again. I planted my hands on his shoulders and pushed with all of my might, peeling my body from his as I stumbled back, my lips clinging to his until the very last second. We stared at each other as I tried to process what was happening. His chest was heaving, and I was inordinately relieved to know that mine wasn't the only one. I reached out, pressing my hand to his chest to see if his heart was pounding as hard as mine was.

"Wow," I whispered as my suspicions were confirmed.

"Yeah."

"Wow!" I sputtered with a laugh.

Luke smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners for a moment as he said, "Yeah."

I saw his smile begin to fade and I shook my head. "Yeah," I said vehemently, launching myself at him again.

He caught me. I knew he would catch me. His arms wrapped around me again, hauling me back to the place that I most wanted to be. We were kissing again, hard, hot kisses that made even the thought of breathing inconsequential. His hands were everywhere, sliding up my back, buried in my hair, caressing my face. My hands were in his hair, having knocked that ubiquitous ball cap to the floor in my haste to get to him. He began to push the flannel shirt from my shoulders, and for a moment, I wanted to resist. Not him. I didn't want to resist him. I just didn't want to lose it now that I had it. I let him do it. Somehow, I knew that even if he stripped it away, that warm, cozy flannel would be mine for the asking. I felt it fall to my feet in a heap, I felt the heat of his hand seeping through the thin material of my blouse, and I decided that it was a damn good idea.

My fingers curled into the thin cotton of his shirt, pulling it up to his shoulders. Luke grunted softly as he broke the kiss, and I yanked the shirt over his head, tossing it over the rungs of an upturned chair. His arms came around me again, pulling me to his chest, taking me down as he began to sink to the ground. I reached up to steady myself. My fingers brushed against his cheek. His skin was so covered with stubble, but it was not at all what I expected. It was soft, surprisingly soft. I couldn't get enough of it. My knees gave out, and I fell back, pulling him to the floor with me as I continued to stroke his cheek. It felt right, so right. His weight on me felt right. His mouth on throat felt so right. His hands smoothing over my body felt more right than anything had a right to.

"Luke," I breathed, letting his name trip off of my tongue and finding that it felt so natural.

"Hmm?" he hummed as I squirmed beneath him.

I tried to plant my foot on the floor seeking the leverage to push up into him, but the drop cloth slid beneath us. "Luke," I sighed as he drew softly on my neck.

"Stop?" he murmured.

"No, no, don't stop." I slid my hands over his shoulders, marveling at the smooth expanse of skin covering those densely corded muscles. As his tongue traced my collarbone, I explored the contours of his back. I felt one of his hands sliding over my ribcage and arched off of the floor, anxious for his caress. When his hand closed over my breast, I moaned aloud. My hands roamed over his back, and I grew frantic for more of him; for him to take more of me.

He kissed his way down my throat, the stubble on his face abrading my skin, the soft warmth of his mouth soothing it even as he set fire to the blood that rush beneath. His lips blazed a path along the neckline of my sweater, and then he paused, lifting his head slightly to look down at me. I opened my mouth to speak. I'm not sure if I was conjuring up a plea to continue or simply words of encouragement, but they wouldn't come. Nothing came but a white-hot flash of desire as he lowered his mouth to the keyhole cut out of my sweater and softly kissed the skin between my breasts.

I must have moaned. I'm pretty sure that sound came from me and not him, but at the moment, I didn't care. I know it was me who moaned when I felt his soft tongue flicker over that spot. Frankly, I'm surprised that my body didn't spontaneously combust then and there. I'm glad it didn't, because if it did, I never would have seen the look in his eyes when he raised his head.

Desire. I saw the desire reflected in those dark blue depths. There was a little cockiness too; like he was proud of the animalistic noises he had coaxed from me. I couldn't fault him for that; he scored those points fair and square. But there was more. There was so much more than simply the desire to incite and inflame. There was affection; genuine caring and concern, and the unspoken message that he would do whatever I wanted him to do. There was a question. A question that I knew that I knew the answer to.

"Don't stop," I whispered, my eyes locked on his.

That was all he needed to hear. His lips crushed mine again, and I wrapped my arms around him; surrendering to the heat. He pushed the hem of my sweater up, his palms sliding over the soft, white skin of my stomach. He groaned and I caught it in my mouth. I tore my lips from his as a laugh bubbled up inside of me. I just had to let it out. The sound of my laughter bounced off of the unpainted walls, and I felt his lips curve against my skin. He pulled back and stripped the sweater from my body, letting it fall from his fingers to the white canvas beneath us as he smiled down at me.

The echo of my laughter faded when our eyes met, as did his smile. Suddenly, the warmth of the moment was overwhelmed by the heat that pulsed through us and around us. His hands were rough as I knew they would be. His mouth was hot and demanding, just how I wanted it. But not matter how terse the demands of his body were, I knew that it was Luke; and when it was Luke, the terse was always tempered with tenderness. I arched off of the floor, silently begging him to take more; instinctively knowing that the demands he made also came with a heaping side of devotion.

Oh God, he was good. He felt so good; that rough stubble scraping against my skin, those nimble fingers unclasping my bra, that searing mouth closing over my breast. He drew my nipple into his mouth, laving it with his tongue and then suckling fervently. My fingers tangled in his hair and I pushed up into him, undulating against the hard muscle of his thigh as each delicious tug of his mouth sent me soaring. His fingers fumbled a bit as he sought the zipper on the side of my skirt. He gasped for air as he lifted his lips from me, and then he released that precious oxygen, watching at it teased my wet flesh.

I brushed his hand away, easily claiming the tab of the zipper and pulling it down an inch or two. Luke lowered his mouth to claim my other breast, and my hand fell away. I raised my arm bowing up as I stretched it over my head, hardly caring that my fingers now resting in the paint pan. The canvas tarp bunched in my palm at I gripped it tightly with my other hand, trying to keep myself grounded. I felt the rest of the zipper give way, and I knew that I was probably fighting a losing battle on that front. I couldn't beat him, so I had to join him. I let go of the tarp and caressed his back, letting my hand glide over the hard packed muscle before allowing it to drift south. My fingers dipped into the waistband of his jeans. The firm rise of his ass was tantalizingly close. I let my fingertips brush over him, and then thrust my hand down as far as it could go. I squeezed that taut mound, urging him down onto me, but Luke resisted. He sucked harder, his tongue circling the distended tip of my nipple until I thought my brain would explode. I lowered my arm, clutching at his bare back, smearing the smooth skin with the creamy paint on my fingers.

"Luke, please," I whispered.

That was all it took. He dropped onto me, his weight pinning me between the hard floor and his seemingly harder body. I moan filled the air, and I couldn't have cared less that it was mine. Luke kissed me, claiming my lips with his as our bodies ground against one another. Then, as quickly as it flamed, it ended. Luke pushed up on his hands, his breath coming in short, sharp pants as he stared down at me.

"Upstairs," he murmured.

"Here. I want you here," I answered, knowing that I had spoken nothing but the unvarnished truth.

He shook his head slightly as if to clear it, and then said, "We're in the diner. On a tarp."

I looked up at him and smiled. "I can't think of anywhere better for you and me," I said softly.

His eyes widened for a second, and then the heat was back. I basked in it for a moment, knowing that I would get my way, and I did. Luke rolled off of me, his hands gripping my waist and the muscles in his arms bunching as he hauled me on top of him. I sprawled against his taut thighs, my skirt constricting my legs. With a frustrated and decidedly un-sexy grunt, I scrambled back, pushing onto my knees. Pushing the skirt down over my hips, I unceremoniously dragged my panties down with it. Luke watched as I kicked the skirt and panties aside, his eyes hooded as if his eyelashes were too heavy for him to hold up. Reaching for the waistband of his jeans, I opened the button; licking my lips as I eyed the hard ridge of his erection pressing against the fly, demanding release. I stripped the denim from his legs, quirking an appreciative eyebrow at the snug, white boxer-briefs he wore under them.

"Look good?" he asked, his voice low and laden with gravel.

"Too good to leave on," I answered with a shadow of my usual sass.

I stripped him bare and then climbed back over his legs, feasting my eyes on what was truly one of the most delicious looking men I have ever had the pleasure to see. And it was a pleasure. Ducking my head, I pressed a soft kiss to the tip of his cock, my smile growing wider as he twitched and groaned loudly. Parting my lips, I drew lightly on the straining flesh, and then circled the swollen tip with my tongue.

"Lorelai," he croaked.

I looked up and my smile must have been triumphant, because in that moment I knew that I hadn't been wrong. The arousal in his voice bespoke his ache, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that each time he spoke my name it was indeed edged with this desire. "Say it again," I whispered as I kissed my way up his stomach.

"Lorelai," he answered, gathering my hair in the palm of his hand.

I straddled his hips, pressing against the hard length of him, knowing that I was ready for him. In every way. "Again," I coaxed, watching him struggle to keep his eyes open as I undulated against him.

Luke's hand fell from my hair to my shoulder, gliding down over my arm until it came to rest on my thigh. He looked up at me, his dark blue eyes boring into mine. "Lorelai, Lorelai, Lorelai," he rasped, meeting the tempo of our bodies moving together.

"Luke," I sighed. I rose on my knees, my eyes locked on his as I guided him into me. "Luke," I whispered as I sank down onto him, taking him deep inside of me.

There's a part of me that kept waiting for a moment of panic. I figured that it should have felt strange, kneeling in the middle of Luke's Diner with Luke Danes pulsing deep inside of me. But it didn't. It felt right. It felt wonderful, the heat of desire enveloping the warmth that flowed from his body into mine. My hands splayed over his hips; holding onto him, knowing that he would keep me grounded. His hands cupped my breasts, their pointed tips brushing against his palms with each thrust. My back arched and I let go of the doubts and fears that had shrouded my heart. I was safe here in his hands. He was perfect here, buried inside of me. I watched as he watched, marveling at the wonder on his face each time he slid into me. His lips were parted, his breath shallow and raspy, his body taut and straining; but despite the palpable strength stretched out beneath me, he seemed vulnerable. Utterly and completely vulnerable.

I liked him like this. I liked feeling like this. I liked knowing that we felt like this. Sliding down, I leaned over to kiss him. Luke's hands slid from my breasts to my hips, his fingers curling into my flesh as they guided me, keeping the tantalizing tempo I had set as he kissed me back hungrily.

"Luke," I gasped, breaking the kiss and squeezing my eyes shut as I felt my climax threatening. Suddenly, I felt an inexplicable urge to cry. I wanted it so badly that I ached, but I wasn't ready for it to be over.

"Lorelai."

My name was a whisper; an aching, breathy plea. I broke, shattering into a thousand pieces. I was okay with that, though, because I knew that he could and would put me back together again. I felt him inside of me. Each fiber of my body seemed to be hyper-alert, waiting and wanting to take him in. The heat poured into me, flooding me with warmth for this man as he tumbled over the edge after me.

My mind flashed back to that balcony; the cold stone, the wrong man, the wrong time. I'd never in a million years tell Luke this. Hell, I'd probably never tell anyone. It was a ridiculous thought, I know. But, there on the diner floor, with Luke throbbing inside of me, the warmth of his release coursing through me, the surety of his hands holding me strong and firm; I wanted it. I knew that he was right man and the right time in exactly the right place. I couldn't help thinking that it would be so right if by some miracle I got my second chance to do it all again the right way. I'd say yes, and he'd be there; holding his baby, raising his child, being the man that I knew him to be.

He raised his hands to my face, tenderly brushing my hair back. Nothing felt as good as that. Not the mind blowing orgasm; and not the teasing, tempting strokes of his lips, teeth, and tongue. Nothing felt better than his hands, gently caressing me; his touch, soft and sweet and filled with concern. I smiled, leaning into his palm. I must have looked like a fool because he smiled too. Luke usually only smiled when I was making an ass of myself, but I didn't care. It felt too right to care.

I collapsed onto him and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. We didn't speak, which is unusual for me, I know. But, for once in my life, I didn't feel the need to fill the air with nonsense. I was too comfortable to exert the effort. His hands soothed me, stroking every bit of my skin that he could reach. I sighed and shifted slightly. The sigh turned into a groan of disappointment as he moved too and I felt him slip from the grasp of my body. I felt him chuckle, but it was so soft that the sound never caught up.

"So much for painting," he whispered hoarsely.

"We'll get to it," I assured him, moving onto my side and burying my face in the curve of his neck.

For a moment, I envied that imaginary baby I had concocted a short time before. This was the sweet spot, the place I most wanted to be. His breathing grew deeper and even, and a smiled. He was completely relaxed, something the Luke I knew rarely was, and I did it. I created this Luke; this warm, soft man cradling me to him. He may be my greatest achievement yet. Irrationally, I wanted Straub to see him. I wanted to point to Luke and force that arrogant old man to witness my triumph. My little fantasy was interrupted by a sigh that sounded a lot like my name. I smoothed my hand over his chest, content to stay just where I was as long as I could be near the steady strum of his heart. Moments later, that sigh was punctuated with a soft snore, and I jerked my head up to look at him.

I couldn't help but smile at what I saw. Luke was just such a _guy_. Here he was; satiated and satisfied, stark naked in the middle of his diner, and his body unapologetically relaxed. Me? I felt super-charged. Restless energy flowed through my veins as I looked around at the heavily shrouded diner that I thought of as my second home. Carefully, I extracted myself from his hold and sat up. I spotted his flannel - my flannel now, draped over a chair and rose up on my knees as I reached for it. Quickly, I slipped my arms into the sleeves and pulled it closed over my naked body.

A nervous glance over my shoulder confirmed that the blinds had indeed been closed the whole time, and I exhaled slowly as I tucked my hair behind my ears. I reached for my skirt, clutching it to my chest as I turned to look at Luke. I had to smile at the picture he made. His hand splayed over his stomach and one knee was bent, the arch of his foot cradled against his muscled calf. My face flooded with a flush of pleasure. I unfurled the fabric of the skirt and gently draped it over him, knowing that if he were to awaken and find himself completely exposed, he wouldn't be pleased. I wanted him to be pleased. More than anything, I didn't want there to be even a moment of regret or doubt when he opened his eyes.

Slipping the first button on the shirt through its hole, I stumbled up onto my feet and paused to feast my eyes on him one last time. I don't know how long I stood there staring, but the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and the soft, rumbling snores were mesmerizing enough to ensure that it was probably far too long. With a quick shake of my head, I finished fastening the buttons and stepped over Luke's prone form to the paint tray. The brush I had taken from his hand was now completely submerged, and I wasn't about to go fishing for it. Instead, I turned in a slow circle until I spotted the stockpile of brushes and rollers we had secured days before.

I grabbed a brush and carried the paint pan over to the spot where Luke had smeared his first coat before I managed to distract him. Dipping the bristles of my fresh brush into the paint, I hummed under my breath as I picked up where he left off, idly trying come up with a better word to rhyme with 'rollers.'

And that, boys and girls, is how the diner came to be painted; proof positive that sometimes a little spruce can make a world of difference.


	49. She’s Got the Chops

**A/N: Just a dirty little ditty to start your weekend off right. Enjoy!**

**She's Got the Chops**

"Does it seem like Frodo is on every fricking channel to you, or is it just me?" Lorelai complained as she pressed the channel up button again.

"God, I have never been this tired," Luke groaned, letting his head fall back against the couch.

Lorelai turned to look at him lovingly. "Aw. You were one hell of a white knight today, baby."

"Yes, I'm a regular Lancelot," Luke mumbled.

Lorelai watched as he sank a little deeper into the couch. "You're starting to snooze," she said softly.

"Uh-huh."

Leaning in a little closer she asked, "Do you want to go upstairs, or are you okay right here?"

"Uh-huh."

"Luke," she whispered. When he groaned softly, she smiled and asked, "What did you put in the lamb chops?"

"Forget it," he mumbled.

"I have ways of making you talk," she said in a low, teasing voice.

"Uh-huh."

She reached up and pushed the blue cap from his head. Luke didn't even flinch as it fell to the floor behind the couch. Winding one of the curls that sprang up at the nape of his neck around her index finger, Lorelai brushed her lips to his ear. He grunted and tried to shy away, but she moved closer.

She nipped lightly at his earlobe and then blew gently. "Parsley?"

He raised one hand and tried ineffectually to wave her away. "No. Stop it."

Lorelai smiled, waiting patiently until he settled in again before pressing her lips to that tantalizingly soft spot just below his ear. "Sage?"

"Cut it out," he growled.

Placing one hand on his stomach, she let it glide over the soft flannel in slow circles, feeling his muscles clench as she gradually worked her way lower and lower. "Rosemary?" she whispered as her fingertips brushed the fly of his jeans.

Luke's eyes popped open and he grasped her wrist to still that hand. "No, and you can tell Paul Simon it wasn't thyme, either. Now is not the _time_, Lorelai, I'm tired."

"But, Luke, we're in a relationship," she cajoled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, eying her warily.

Lorelai gave him a sly smiled as she pushed against the back of the couch and leveraged one leg over his lap. Luke's hands automatically landed on her hips, steadying her as she hovered above him.

"It means that because we are in a relationship, we sometimes have relations."

Luke's eyes narrowed ever further as he looked up at her. "Blackmail?"

Leaning down, she kissed him sweetly. "Blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer to think of it as an incentive."

"I'm not sure there's enough incentive in the world at the moment," he grumbled.

She kissed him again, her lips lingering enticingly against his. "I love your chops."

"Really? 'Cause you're kind of bustin' them right now."

Lowering her bottom to his thighs, Lorelai wriggled a little closer to him. "I can wake you up," she whispered, pressing her forefinger to his full bottom lip.

"You could wake a dead man, but I'd really prefer to be conscious for this," he told her frankly.

Lorelai's lashes fluttered as she closed her eyes again, her lips hovering over his. She smiled as she felt his fingers moving over the back pockets of her jeans. "Was it thyme?"

"No."

"Tell me."

"Nuh-uh."

"I can make you talk."

"You can try, but I can't guarantee anything."

"Don't you want to show me your steed, good sir knight?" she asked playfully.

Luke snorted. "Steed," he muttered under his breath. "I don't think I can manage a Shetland pony."

Lorelai pressed her lips to his again, parting his lips with her tongue and then sighing into him. "I bet you can," she whispered as she slithered off of his lap to kneel on the floor between his feet.

"Lorelai, come on, seriously…."

"Oh, I'm serious," she said as she pulled the tab of his belt loose.

"But, I…."

"Just need to sit back and relax," she finished for him. She opened the button on his jeans, and Luke slouched further into the couch, his hips instinctively rising to her touch. "Hey, I know, why don't you tell me what you put in those lamb chops," she whispered as she drew his zipper down.

"You're nuts."

"About you," she reminded him. Slipping her fingers into the waistband of his plaid boxers, she drew them down a little. "Lift up."

"I don't think I can," he said gruffly.

"You can't lift up?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Anything," he said pointedly.

"Why don't you leave that up to me?" she murmured, stroking his denim covered thigh.

When he hesitated, she pressed her mouth to the smooth cotton of his boxers and exhaled, letting her warm breath seep through. Luke groaned low and soft and pushed off of the couch just enough for Lorelai to pulled his jeans and boxers down over his rounded ass. Leaving them bunched around his thighs, she nuzzled the dark curls at the juncture of his legs, inhaling the musky, insanely masculine scent of him. She felt his dormant cock stir against her cheek, and smiled as she pressed a tender kiss to his sensitive flesh.

"Garlic?" she asked quietly. She braced her hands on his knees as her tongue darted out to stroke his balls.

"Yes," he exhaled.

Lorelai pulled back, watching as he filled, lengthening against the nest of coarse brown curls. "What else?" Lorelai ran her tongue along the length of him, moaning softly as she felt him expanding.

"Teriyaki sauce," he whispered, pushing his hands into her hair.

She parted her lips and pressed an open mouthed kiss to the very tip of him. His fingers tightened in her hair, and he pressed up into her. Drawing softly on the very tip of him, Lorelai hummed her pleasure. "Is that it?" she asked, looking up at him.

Luke snorted softly. "Hardly."

Her eyes lit at his playful tone. "Ahh, someone thinks he's tough."

"Take a lot more than that to break me," he said gruffly.

"Well, on the bright side, looks like you have a leg to stand on," she told him, keeping her eyes locked on his as she lowered her mouth to him again.

Luke's lips parted, his retort dying on his tongue as her lips closed around him and she pulled him deep into her mouth. "Ah, geez," he groaned, struggling not to thrust up.

Lorelai's head bobbed as her lips slid over his rapidly heating flesh, applying just enough suction to draw him in.

She moved faster, his stiff shaft cushioned against her velvety tongue. She cupped his balls, squeezing gently with each stroke of her eager mouth. His breathing became labored as she stroked the soft skin under his balls with the pad of her finger, working him steadily. She wrapped her fingers around the base of his slick cock, applying just enough pressure to drive him out of his mind.

"Not fair," he grumbled, winding her hair around his fingers.

Her mouth popped off of him and she looked up. "What else?" she asked her eyes boring into his.

When he clamped his mouth shut, she pressed the tip of her tongue to the slit on his swollen head. Luke grunted and then hissed, "Dijon," as he pushed her head down onto him again.

She began to move her hand in concert with the gentle tugs of her mouth, and Luke's hips twitched. Knowing just how he liked it, she kept that gentle, insistent pressure up as she released her hold on him, taking him deeper as her fingers slipped down between his legs. She felt him ripple and surge against her tongue and pressed slid one damp finger into the crevice of his ass.

Luke gasped as she applied the slightest pressure to his perineum, causing him to thrust into her wildly. "Honey," he rasped.

"Mm hmm," she hummed around him, tickling that sensitive spot with the pad of her finger, and then pressing again.

"Honey!" he cried out as he emptied into her mouth, jerking with each pulse of his release.

Lorelai slowed, letting him carry move against her as he needed, bringing him down gently. When she released him, she pressed her lips to his hip, nuzzling him sweetly as he stroked her hair soothingly.

"You are my knight," she whispered.

He chuckled softly and Lorelai smiled. Rousing herself, she climbed slowly back up to straddle him. He blinked drowsily as she caressed his scruffy cheek. "Say it again, Luke," she whispered. "The relationship thing."

"I'm in a relationship with you. I love you," he added without needing any further coaxing.

She shook her head as she grinned down at him. "I love you too, honey."

Luke's lips quirked into a smirk. "Good. That's good," he said as he pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her hair.

"Luke?" she whispered after a minute.

"Hmm?"

"What did you put in the lamb chops?"

He squeezed her tighter. "Let's go to bed."

"Luke," she whined.

"I told you," he argued as he began to push her from his lap.

"Teriyaki and Dijon?" she asked as she stood up, pulling him up with both hands.

"And garlic," he said as he stood up, hiking his boxers and jeans into place.

"That's it?" she asked as he took her by the hand and led her toward the steps. "Sookie couldn't figure that out?"

"Sookie thinks too hard about things."

Lorelai squinted at his back as she allowed herself to be pulled along. "There has to be something else," she insisted.

Luke smiled as he eyed the top of the stairs. "Maybe there was, maybe there wasn't, honey."

Lorelai tugged on the back of his flannel. "Hey, you wanna hear my dirty cooking jokes now?"

Luke nodded, knowing that his secret was safe.


	50. Red, Hot, and Blue

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, FF was not cooperating last night. This very special episode of ****Slip of the Tongue**** is dedicated to my dear friend Jewels on her 27th birthday. Why Slip? Well, because we are all friends here, I'm going to share a little secret with you ... Jewels likes the smut. She particularly likes the immoral smut (the saucy wench). **

**So in honor of the day of your birth, here is a little something that hopefully you will find delightful, delicious and de-lovely, my delectable Jewels. Happy Birthday! **

**Red, Hot, and Blue**

For the second time that evening, all he could see was red. His long fingers wrapped around the steering wheel, his knuckles glowing white in the dim light from the dashboard, his jaw set. The only movements he made were strictly involuntary; the flare of his nostrils as his lungs took in air, the sweep of his eyelashes as he blinked, and the tiny muscle in his jaw that leapt with the exertion of holding back a primal scream of frustration. The red glowed through the gloom of the night. He paid no attention to hulking shadows of the trees that whipped past his window. The white lines that dotted the highway could have been Morse code for all her cared. All he could see was red.

It wasn't the same red he had seen hours before. That red was the flaming red of anger shaded with guilt and frustration, burning through him until he had to strike out, had to try to pummel it from his system. The indignation and humiliation that scorched him earlier in the evening had burned itself out, taking everything he had thought to be right and true with it. He blinked as the red glowed brighter, almost searing his retinas. He pulled back a little, his heavy boot lifting from the accelerator as he coasted toward the exit that would lead him home.

No, this red was brighter, beckoning to him. It was the red of the blood coursing through his veins; pulsing sure and steady, drawing him closer and closer, its restorative power fueling the pounding of his heart.

The faded blue sign whizzed past his window, but he didn't need to see it to know that he was back where he needed to be. Stars Hollow was his home, and always would be. It didn't matter if he helped choose the paint chips, or installed shelving in any other town. It didn't matter if he slept there or here, or where he kept his can of protein powder. The dirty dishes in his sink were proof positive that it didn't matter. He'd never left this town, no matter what he or anyone else said.

Red flashed in front of his eyes, signaling something that he knew that he was supposed to care about, but he didn't. There was only one thing he cared about at the moment. It wasn't that his so-called wife was at that very moment screwing some guy who had to have fruity padding in the toes of his socks. It wasn't that he'd been hauled off in handcuffs to that rinky-dink cop shop by some guy who thought he was the second coming of Barney Fife. It wasn't that he'd had to endure fifteen minutes of Lorelai's endless jailbird jokes and prison speak before she dared to get down to the nitty gritty. That wasn't what had him seeing red.

He turned the wheel coasting nearly to a stop before finally applying the brake. When the truck jerked to a halt, the red flared once again, and then suddenly everything went dark. Staring straight ahead, he focused on releasing his grip on the wheel, letting go of the one thing that had kept him grounded one finger at a time. When he succeeded, he turned the key and his hands fell loosely into his lap, each digit still curled in toward his palms as if they'd never straighten again. Biting his bottom lip, he willed them to move; curling his fingers into two tight fists before flexing them. They stretched out in front of him, fully functional only due to the fact that he had used his boot on the damn dent resistant panel, and not his knuckles.

He heard someone tap on his window and his head jerked up. Lorelai peered through the smudged glass, her brow furrowed with worry as she cocked her head questioningly. He sucked in a breath and turned away, staring straight ahead, his eyes fixed on the now dark taillights that had glowed bright red through the night, leading him home.

"Luke? Are you okay?"

He could hear the genuine concern in her muffled voice as it carried through the thick glass. He turned to look at her again, this time looking into her vivid blue eyes. That's all it took for reality to sink its way through his thick skull. The red spread through his brain, but it neither the flame red of anger nor the bright red of the taillights on her Jeep. This was a different red – darker and richer and lush with the promise of more.

"Luke?" she called again.

His fingers curled around the handle, and steel groaned against steel as he threw his shoulder to the door. Lorelai stumbled back a couple of steps, her eyes wide as she watched him side from the truck, unfolding to his full height in front of her. A flick of his wrist slammed the door shut behind him, and then he braced both hands on his hips, his gaze locked on her.

"Are you okay?"

He must have nodded, because a moment later, her head bobbed and a relieved smile curved her lips.

"Forget where you live?" she asked. He took one step toward her and Lorelai automatically sidestepped him, inching closer to the hood of the truck. "I can't see how you could … home is where your tool box is, right?" she asked watching him warily.

The engine ticked as it cooled in the chill spring air, its soft pings lost among the chorus of crickets chirping. He watched, seeing the nerves flare up in her eyes, her smile twitched to life and the red clouded his vision once again.

He stared at her, fascinated by her retreat. "Am I scaring you?"

"Well, you are a violent felon, right?" she tried to joke. "Saw it on the police blotter."

Luke blinked the haze from his eyes. "Are you?" he persisted.

"You're making me a little nervous," Lorelai admitted.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Hearing the truth in her answer, he stepped closer. "How about now? Better or worse?"

"What are you doing?"

"I did everything wrong, Lorelai," he said, his voice low and soft. "I thought that I was doing what was right, but I was wrong. I did it all wrong."

"Luke, you haven't done anything wrong," she said sincerely.

He paused for a moment, pressing his lips together as his indigo eyes bored into her. "I have. I have all along. I knew what was right, but I was too much of a coward to do it."

"You aren't a coward."

His eyebrows rose at the vehemence behind her assertion. "I was, and I was wrong. But I'm not going to be anymore," he quietly vowed. "A coward, I mean. I'm going to be wrong. Possibly very wrong in a lot of ways, but I'm not going to be a coward anymore."

Lorelai began to nod, but he stopped her. He stopped her by covering her mouth with his.

It wasn't the best kiss. Although her lips were parted, it was in shock and not passion. Although she clung to his jacket, it wasn't to pull him closer, but to hold herself upright. Although it wasn't the best kiss he'd ever had, it was a kiss, and that was far more than he thought he'd ever have.

He stepped back, fully expecting to feel her palm crossing his cheek. He stepped back, but instead of averting his eyes or mumbling an apology, he looked straight at her, waiting for her to pronounce his sentence.

"What are you doing?" she whispered in shock.

"What I should have done a long time ago," he answered, trying to play the whole thing off with a nonchalant shrug.

"What you ... Luke, you kissed me!" she sputtered.

"Yep."

"You can't just kiss me!"

"I did."

"But…."

"I did and I'm not taking it back," he said mulishly.

"Taking it back? Taking it back?" she cried, her voice rising.

"Shh!"

"Don't shush me!" she snapped.

"Fine," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Babette should be out in a minute; make sure she hears everything."

"Why did you kiss me?" she hissed.

"I wanted to."

"You wanted to?" she repeated. "You wanted to, so you just kissed me?"

He'd never known Lorelai to be unobtrusive; and as her voice clicked a few more decibels, easily carrying across her yard and all those that bordered it, she didn't disappoint. Luke couldn't help it. Circumspect, discreet, prudent? Not one of those words applied to the irate woman in front of him. He just couldn't help but smile.

"You're smiling?" she accused, growing even more incensed. When his smile widened, so did her eyes - that's when her palm met his cheek.

The slap seemed to startle Lorelai more than it did Luke. He had been anticipating it from the moment he closed the gap between them without giving her any warning. The thing was, he knew that if he had given her any warning, that kiss would never have happened. He needed it to happen, even if it got him slapped. She gaped at him, her fingers wrapped around her wrist, her mouth working soundlessly as she gazed down at her hand as if it weren't attached to her. No, the slap didn't shock didn't shock him. But her tears knocked him flat.

As she whirled away from him, the moonlight caught the shimmer in those impossibly blue eyes. His legs went out from under him before her foot hit the first step. He reached out to catch himself, but his ass was on the ground before she could get the door open. His forehead hit his knees, and a low groan escaped him just as it slammed shut behind her.

He raised his head, his hands dangling uselessly over his shins as he stared at the faded denim covering his knees. The fingers on his right hand wrapped around the index and middle finger of his left, grounding him there. The righteous indignation he had felt when he spotted his 'wife' getting out of that car with another man had subsided. Thinking back on it, he was shocked that it had flared at all. It seemed so insignificant now; trumped by the certain knowledge that it didn't matter what Nicole did or didn't do – nothing would ever change the way he felt about Lorelai. He sat still, staring at the sprigs of tender spring grass peeking through the mud.

He heard her door open again, but moments passed before he dared to look up. When he finally raised his head he saw Lorelai standing on the edge of the porch, her hands pulling the edges of her pink coat tightly around her, her jaw taut, and her head turned resolutely away from him. Slowly, he released his hold on himself and rolled to his feet, the heels of his boots rutting the soft ground as he rolled his shoulders back and then started for the porch.

His boot landed firmly on the first step, the sound of it startling her from her thoughts. Lorelai turned to look at him, a deep crevice bisected her brow as he stepped closer, but she didn't flinch. He took two more steps, stopping when his face drew even with hers. She stared at him, her blue eyes clouded with questions. Of its own volition, he right hand reached out, the pad of his forefinger touching that deep furrow between her eyebrows, smoothing it away as he moved one step closer.

Lorelai's eyes stayed fixed on him as he closed the distance between them, but left one worn wooden stair as a buffer. He drew his hand back, watching as her eyelashes fluttered and her forehead smoothed. His fingers curled into his palm, the back of his knuckles grazing the curve of her cheek and then tenderly tracing the line of her jaw. She didn't move, she didn't breathe, and she didn't pull away. Instead, Lorelai swayed toward him slightly, leaning into his caress.

He kissed her again, his hand unfurling to cup her cheek as his lips met hers tentatively at first. Encountering no resistance, he angled his head; his fingers sliding into her hair as he let his lips glide over hers. Pulling back, he stared directly at her, waiting for her to open her eyes.

"You're married," she whispered, her eyelids firmly in place.

Luke wet his lips. "You're the only one who seems to think so." His voice was coarse and gravelly, betraying the emotion behind his flippant words, and Lorelai's eyes flew open.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, taking a quick step back.

Although every impulse in his body screamed for him to hang on to her, he let his hand slip from her hair and fall to his side. "It means I was never really married to her," he said gruffly. When she took another step back, he advanced, taking the last two steps until they were on equal footing. "Legally, yes, I guess, but really? No. I never wanted to be married to her and she knows that. You know it."

"That doesn't change anything."

"It changes everything!" he blurted, the words bursting from his mouth. "Marriage is a commitment, Lorelai. More than just a few words mumbled on come damn cruise ship in the middle of nowhere."

"I can't do this," she said, backing up quickly and she groping for the door handle.

"Lorelai," he called, determined that this time he would pursue her. The red flashed in front of his eyes as he caught the closing door with his hand and pushed it open again.

Lorelai spun to face him, her eyes blazing. "What with you men? Who says you get to decide everything?" she shouted at him.

"It's not about deciding, Lorelai, it just is what it is," he shot back. "It's time."

"Time?" Lorelai gaped at him for a moment. "Time? Did a timer go off in _your _head too?" she screamed.

"What?"

"Don't you have to give me something as a stupid, talking symbol of that?" she spat as she rooted around the pocket of her pink coat.

"What are you talking about?"

"Keys!" she exclaimed pulled a shiny new house key from the pocket and holding it up for him to see. "Hey, I know, you can give me the key to your cell, right? That says a lot. It says, 'Hey, I've lost my mind. I caught my wife cheating and then kicked a car until I got arrested.' Or maybe, 'The timer went off in my head and I kissed my friend Lorelai because my wife is kissing someone else.' How's that?" she demanded, her eyes blazing as she waved the key in front of his eyes. Closing her fist around it and hurling it ineffectually at his chest before turning away.

Lorelai wrapped her arms around her stomach and she shook with barely controlled rage. "I don't want your key, Luke. I don't want anyone's stupid talking keys," she said harshly.

"Talking keys?" he asked as he bent to scoop the key from the floor. Holding it between his fingers he studied it quizzically, as if the key itself would explain what it had to do with anything. Giving up, he looked up at her, his fingers closing around the shiny key. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Lorelai tipped her chin up defiantly. "Jason gave me that key to his apartment."

"Jason?"

"The man I'm seeing."

"The dick in the Mercedes?" he asked, incredulous.

Lorelai blinked, clearly taken aback. "He has a Mercedes, yes."

"And he gave you a key?"

"Yes. A talking key."

"What does that mean?" he asked scornfully.

"It means he's not runni … he's not bolting," she answered stubbornly.

"Well, good for him," Luke muttered under his breath. He clutched the key tightly. Seconds ticked by as they stared at one another, and the smart assed remark he conjured died on his tongue.

A stunning realization popped into his head, bathing everyone and everything in red. "Do you love him?" he asked hoarsely, searching her face for the answer.

"What?"

"Do you?" he demanded.

"Jason?" Lorelai asked as if the connection never occurred to her.

Luke blew out a breath, her confusion chasing the red away. "You don't love him," he exhaled.

Lorelai gaped at him for a moment. "You don't know that," she retorted.

Luke nodded slowly, holding his fist out to her. Automatically, Lorelai extended her palm and he opened his fingers letting the key drop into it. "No, you don't," he said calmly.

Lorelai looked down at the key lying silent and ineffectual in her hand, and sighed as she turned and trudged toward the living room. She tossed it onto the coffee table and sank down onto the edge of the couch, pushing both hands into her hair. "Everything started out so normal," she mumbled. "I wore the cute boots … Michael Caine still had a steady income…."

Luke followed her, circling the back of the couch until he could step around the other end and sit down next to her. "The diner was dead, I closed early and thought…. I don't know what I thought. I haven't slept there more than a half dozen times. I never slept there because I couldn't _sleep_ there. I didn't want to be there," he confessed.

Lorelai nodded as she straightened up, letting the momentum of her body pull her until she flopped against the back of the couch. She turned her head slightly, watching him out of the corner of her eye. "It makes sense that Jason gave me a key to his apartment, I have my own room there," she said, her voice low and wry.

Luke blinked and then turned to look at her. "What?"

"We didn't sleep in the same bed. Insomnia," she explained.

"You have insomnia?"

"Jason does."

"So you have your own room?" he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Lorelai nodded. "Flat screen television, DVDs, books," she said with a wave of her hand.

"He didn't want to sleep with you?" Luke couldn't control the incredulity that dripped from his voice as she nodded. "Well, that explains the car," he muttered, turning away.

"What?"

"Well, you know what they say about a guy with a car like that," he said derisively. When her eyebrows shot up questioningly, he rolled his eyes at her oblivion. "Compensating?"

"I didn't say I didn't have sex with him," Lorelai said flatly. "I just didn't sleep with him. Kind of like how you didn't _sleep_ with Nicole."

Luke flinched, her words biting into him like a hail of bullets. He clasped his hands together and turned away, his jaw working as he swallowed the bile that rose in his throat.

Resting her head against the back of the couch Lorelai peered at him. "Why did you kiss me?"

The muscle in his jaw relaxed, and Luke pulled in a deep breath, holding it as he turned back to her. "I…." he croaked. Clearing his throat, he offered her a weak smile. "I just, I've always wanted to," he admitted, opening his palms helplessly.

"You have?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Luke chuckled and shook his head as he fell back against the cushions. Turning to look at her he smiled ruefully. "From the day I met you."

"I drive you crazy," she whispered.

"In every way," he agreed.

"Why now?"

Luke held her gaze, searching through the wreckage of the night for the right answer. He found it at last, buried deep in his chest, drenched in red. "I couldn't wait any more."

Lorelai showed no sign of having heard him. Instead, her lips thinned into a line as her jaw tightened. At last, she said stiffly, "I can't be your revenge, Luke."

He sat up, his back stiff and straight as he prepared to lunge to his feet. Springing up, he knocked the blue cap from his head, letting it fall to her floor as he pushed his fingers into his flattened hair. He paced the room, finally coming to a stop at the fireplace. Reaching out to grasp the mantelpiece, he shook his head in disgust.

"You asked if a timer went off in my head," he began slowly, not daring to look at her. "It wasn't a timer, but something clicked. It all clicked." Still clutching the mantle, he turned to look at her. "I didn't kick that car because Nicole was up there screwing someone else," he said bluntly.

Lorelai sat up, her puzzlement written all over her beautiful face. "No?"

Luke shook his head. "I kicked that car because she was right. She was right all along." His eyes stayed fixed on her as he forced himself to swallow the lump that rose in his throat. "They were all right. Nicole, Rachel, Patty, Babette, your mother," he listed softly.

"Right about what?" she asked, a tinge of fear in her voice.

Letting his hand fall from the mantle, he walked slowly back to the couch, crouching down in front of her, holding her gaze with his own. "You," he answered at last.

"Luke…."

"I can't help it, Lorelai. I tried. God, I tried," he said with a bitter laugh. "It was easier to try. I told myself that there was no way you'd ever feel the same way about me. I almost believed it too. Until that night when we broke into the church," he said quietly.

Lorelai's eyes dropped, peering down at her hands clasped in her lap. Luke reached out, balancing on the balls of his feet as he covered her hands with his. She didn't pull away. She didn't struggle against him as his fingers tightened over hers. He felt her tremble slightly, and gathered her hands into his palms, holding them firmly.

"Why did you care?" he whispered.

Lorelai squeezed her eyes shut and pulled in a shuddering breath as she turned her face away from him.

The silence filled the room, closing in on him from all sides, squeezing the truth from him. "I was so mad when I realized it. I didn't want it to still be you, Lorelai. But it was you. I dated Nicole because of you. I married her in spite of you. I was divorcing her because of you. I could never leave here because if I did, I left you."

"Stop," she whispered.

"I was so mad that all I could see was red. I kicked the crap out of that car, and the damn thing wouldn't give in. I sat in that cell wondering who I could call to come and get me, but I knew that you were the only one. I followed you home tonight, keeping your taillights in sight, and I realized that I've never stopped waiting for you. I can't stop. It's the only thing that feels right. Being here in this town with you," he finished softly.

"Luke."

"And I know that you probably don't feel the same way about me, but maybe you can if you let yourself," he went on in a rush. He glanced down at the key she'd tossed away and then back up at her. Squeezing her hands, he used them to pull himself a few inches closer. "There has to be a reason that you cared."

"I do care," she admitted softly. "But…."

Lifting her hands from her lap, he drew them to his lips and brushed a soft, fervent kiss to her knuckles. "No buts," he whispered.

Turning her hands over in his, her fingers curled helplessly into her palms as his had just a short time earlier. Pressing his mouth to her palm, his lips settled against her soft skin, and her fingers slowly opened. He nuzzled her hand, giving himself over to her. Her fingers straightened and then curved against his cheek, molding to his skin like a glove.

"Luke," she exhaled softly, and then pressed her palm into his cheek, tipping his head up.

He looked up at her expectantly, cautious hope burning in his eyes as he waited for her to pass her final judgment. When she hesitated, he rolled down onto his knees, ready to plead his case, prepared to beg for leniency if need be.

"Tell me why you cared. Please," the word hissed from his lips, seeping up from the depths of his soul as he stared into her eyes.

"You know why, but…."

He shook his head. "No. No buts."

Lorelai blinked rapidly as his hand stretched over hers, holding it to his cheek. She leaned forward, and he closed his eyes in anticipation, his breath coming in short puffs. When the kiss he expected never came, he opened his eyes and his hand fell away from hers; his heart sinking into the pit of his stomach.

"I'm sorry," he said gruffly, beginning to pull away.

"No!" she gasped, her fingers pressing into his cheek. She placed her other hand on his other cheek, holding him firmly between them as she leaned forward and kissed him softly.

Her lips were soft, impossibly soft. She tasted sweet, the sugary gloss she wore on her lips tempted him to the dark side, filling him with the urge to lap her up. Coffee. She tasted faintly of coffee. He fought back a smile at the sudden temptation to bathe in the vicious black sludge.

Lorelai pulled away fractionally, and his lips followed hers, hungry for more. She hesitated, and he kissed her again, his hand finding its way to her neck and cradling it gently. She sighed, and he felt his body quiver in response. Her fingers slid into his hair, and he felt his heart start to pound. She parted her lips, and then he struck.

His tongue caressed her lips, urging her mouth open wider as he angled his head to take the kiss deeper. Lorelai moaned softly, and the sound of it arrowed straight to his gut, shooting to all points south. Her fingers tightened in his hair as her tongue tentatively touched his, and it was his turn to groan.

Soft as velvet and sweet as honey, her tongue circled his slowly. Luke dragged precious oxygen in through his nose, her scent flooding his senses as she began to lean back, pulling him along with her. She sank into the cushions as he rose up in his knees, his stomach pressed to her thigh as she fell to the side dragging him on top of her.

They broke apart and her eyes flew open. "This is wrong," she panted.

"I know," Luke answered, pressing his mouth to hers again to cut off any more protests. He kissed her hard and hungry, leveraging himself onto the couch. When he shifted to plant his knee beside her hip, she slapped his leg lightly before moving hers wider. Her hand caressed his denim clad thigh, urging it between hers. He moved and her hand slid to his ass, patting it approvingly and then moving to the safety of his hip as her tongue tangled with his again. Her arms encircled him, burrowing beneath his olive drab jacket and curling into the flannel beneath as he began kissing his way across her cheek.

"Wrong, so wrong," she panted, and then urged him down onto her. Lorelai arched against him, her body seeking the contact that her mind still resisted.

"No," Luke whispered as he trailed hot, sweet kisses along her jaw.

"Key," she rasped as he drew the tender skin beneath her ear into his mouth and sucked gently. "Married. Oh God, you feel good," she whispered as he pressed into the cradle of her hips. "Why did you have to marry her?"

Luke heard the ache in her voice, and somehow knew that it wasn't merely physical. "Shh." He pressed heated kisses to her throat. "You, I wanted you," he murmured against her skin.

"Wrong, so wrong." Lorelai clawed at the back of his shirts, freeing the t-shirt from his jeans and then plunging her hands beneath.

"So good," he murmured as her hands smoothed over his back.

"God, yes."

His skin felt taut, stretched too tight across his back as her hands flowed over him. "It's right," he mumbled. He pushed the collar of her pink coat aside, yanking it down over her shoulder. Nuzzling her shirt aside, he began to shower her with tiny kisses. "It feels right to me."

"Me too," Lorelai sighed. Pulling her arms out from under his coat, she pushed at the lapels of the worn jacket. "But it's still wrong. I'm in a relationship, you're … married."

She choked on the last word, her eyes going wide as her hand froze, his jacket binding his arms immobile at his sides. Luke began shaking his head. "No, Lorelai, no. This isn't like that," he said, his voice cracking with desperation. "You know that."

She blinked up at him. "I do," she said softly. "I do know that." She let go of his coat and touched her fingertips to his cheek. "But do you?"

"What?"

"We shouldn't be doing this."

Luke licked his lips and then bit down sharply to keep pouring any more of his heart out at her feet. Planting his hands on the couch, he pushed up and away from her, but his eyes never left her face. He launched himself to the side, landing in a heap on the end of the sofa.

Lorelai struggled to sit up, shrugging her coat back onto her shoulder, and then glancing down at it with a puzzled frown. A huff of exasperation blew her bangs from her face, and then she began to peel it off. "Take your coat off," she said quietly.

"I should go," Luke said, dragging one hand over his face.

"We should talk."

"Like the key?" he asked, a bitter laugh bubbling up from the pool of red gathering inside of him.

"Luke."

"What, Lorelai?" he snapped, dropping his hand tiredly. "You're right, this is wrong, and we should stop." He stood up, snatching his hat up by the bill as he straightened.

Lorelai grasped the sleeve of his coat, her eyes pleading as she looked up at him. "Please don't go."

Luke stared down at her, trying to dredge up the strength to walk away from her, and knowing that he'd come up empty. "I don't know what else to tell you," he told her quietly.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," she admitted.

"Do? What do you _want_ to do?"

"Want?" she asked blankly.

"You don't _have_ to do anything." He looked from the hand on his arm and then back to her face. "What do you _want_ to do?"

"It isn't right," she said softly.

"Says who?" he retorted, shaking her hand from his arm.

Lorelai gaped at him. "Uh, every law of god and man?" she said dryly.

"And the Manhattan garbage union," he muttered as he clapped the hat back onto his head.

"This isn't funny!" Lorelai said as she shot off of the couch.

"Do I look like I'm laughing?" he bellowed. "I told you everything. Everything, Lorelai!"

"I know!"

"And now you're telling me that everything I told you and everything I want is wrong, and you know what? You're right." He gave her a brisk nod. "I'm battin' a thousand," he muttered under his breath and started for the door.

"Luke, wait!" Lorelai shouted as she started after him.

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes! Yes, it _does_ matter! Don't go."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want you to go."

Luke turned in the doorway, a sick sense of déjà vu washing over him. "Why? Why don't you want me to go?" Lorelai clammed up, crossing her arms over her chest as she looking away. "That's what I thought," he said with a curt nod, and then stepped out onto the porch.

"Because I feel the same way," she blurted.

Luke stopped and stared out into the darkened yard, his eyes straying to the spot where he first kissed her. His hands twitched and then curled slowly into fists clenched at his sides as he hung his head, feeling the red rush into his cheeks. He felt the bite of his nails digging into his palms and began to turn back slowly.

Lorelai stood in the open doorway, fidgeting nervously as his eyes swept from the porch to her eyes. "What?" he asked quietly.

"I feel the same way," she said, her chin rising stubbornly. "About you."

His fists uncurled and he shot through the door in three strides, causing her to stumble back against the coat rack. He caught her up in his arms pulling her hard against his chest. "Say it again.

"I've said it twice," she argued.

"Say it again so I know that you know that it isn't wrong."

Lorelai's smile was soft and slow, turning the corners of her mouth up the slightest bit as she looked up at him. "Oh, but it is wrong. It's so wrong that for you and me, it must be right."

"Damn right," he growled, and then crushed her lips with his.

Without missing a beat, Lorelai pushed his jacket back down over his arms, and Luke grunted as he released her only long enough to let her strip it off. Capturing her waist once again, he held her tight pressing his body the length of hers as he flailed for the door, rapping his knuckles against the wood before managing to swing it shut.

With the cool spring air blocked out, the heat in the tiny foyer rose rapidly. Her hands slid under his rumpled shirts once more, reclaiming the ground she had covered before; his skimmed over the silky fabric of her blouse, molding it to her skin as his tongue stroked hers. She made a soft, mewling noise in the back of her throat undulating into him, her body matching the rhythm of his tongue. Luke grabbed a fistful of the material, yanking it unceremoniously from the waistband on her pants in his desperate quest for her skin.

His mouth grazed her cheek, searching, seeking, and finally conquering the throbbing pulse in her throat. Lorelai moaned; craning her neck to give him better access to the sensitive spot as his cool fingers brushed over her bare stomach. She reached up, her fingers coiling around a coat hook just as his hand covered her breast. She cried out softly, bowing away from the jumble of coats that cushioned her back.

He teased her taut nipple through the fabric of her bra and she panted, "Right, so right."

Luke bent his knees, sinking into them as he kissed his way down the open throat of her blouse. He felt his own fingers moving beneath the fabric, scraping it against the rough stubble on his cheek and chin. Frustrated by the constraint, he tried to push her blouse up, but was thwarted by its snug fit and precise tailoring. With a guttural grunt, he pulled his hand from her shirt, ignoring her whimper of protest.

His fingers fumbled the first button, and he tore his mouth from its urgent exploration of the hollow of her throat. His chest heaved with exertion as he focused every ounce of his energy on slipping the tiny plastic disc through its hole. When Lorelai tried to intercede, he batted her hands away, his intense blue gaze pinning her to the spot.

"Hurry," she whispered.

That was all the encouragement he needed, grasping open collar, he pulled as hard as he could, smiling with satisfaction as buttons scattered around them pinging against the hardwood floor. Lorelai gasped and looked down at the ruination of her attire. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she found herself bared to the waist, her breasts spilling enticingly over the molded cups of her black bra.

"You killed it," she murmured.

"You told me to hurry," he reminded her as he sank one hand into her hair and tipped her head back to receive his kiss.

"Oh my God," she whispered against his lips as he cupped her in both hands.

Luke lowered his head, pressing his nose to the sweet valley between her breasts and inhaling deeply. "Had to get to you," he murmured, pressing urgent kisses to the rounded curve of each soft mound.

"I'm a little more restrained," she said with a smug smile as she raked both shirts up his bowed back. Luke took one tiny step back, allowing her to pull them over his head, but growled his disapproval as he was forced to unhand her breasts in order to free his arms.

As she tossed the shirts aside, he captured one wrist and brought it to his lips. Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he pressed a moist kiss to the faint pulse throbbing just below her skin, and then raised her arm back to the hook.

Lorelai's smile turned sultry as she wrapped her fingers around it, her eyelids heavy with arousal as arched away from the rack, offering herself up to him. "We should go upstairs," she whispered as he released the front clasp of her bra.

"Yes, we should," he agreed as he bent to capture one rose tipped breast in his mouth.

Her hands found the buckle on his belt. "I don't want to," she whispered as his lips, teeth, and tongue tormented her pebbled flesh. "I don't want to do anything we should." She opened his belt, and then let her hand smooth over the hard ridge in his jeans.

Luke groaned as he felt the leather release. When she began to stroke him and he saw red.

Red – her full lips parted and swollen from his kisses. Red – darkening the tips of her breasts as he pulled his mouth from her. Red – as she dragged the tab of his zipper down, exposing the front of his plaid boxers. Red – as he saw her polished fingers wrap around his stiff shaft.

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her away from the coat rack; heedless of the tumble of nylon, wool, and leather that scattered at their feet. He dragged her to the floor, sinking into a pool of scarlet tinged passion so deep he prayed he'd drown in it.

He touched bottom as his knees hit the ground, jarring him back to reality just for a moment. And then the moment was lost. Lorelai's arms and legs wrapped around him, dragging him back under as the heat between her legs seared through the thin cotton of his boxers. His blood, sluggish and thick with desire, burst forth in a rush as she ground against him.

Pressing one hand to her back, he wedged the other between them. His fingers scrambled for the catch of her pants as she kissed him breathless. It gave way, and she drew back; writhing against him as she bowed back over his hand. The loose strap of her bra tickled that hand, and she wriggled from his lap.

Rising onto her knees, she shook her arms free of the elastic straps and then drew her zipper down. She pushed her pants down, dragging her panties along with them until they pooled at her knees. Then, she pressed her hands into his broad shoulders and rose up to kick them down her legs. She paused and looked over her shoulder, glaring at the boots that thwarted her path to freedom. Grunting her frustration, she flipped onto her bottom, giving an exaggerated shiver as she wrestled with the zipper on one boot. Kicking it away, she pulled her leg from her pants and rolled up onto her knees again. Lifting her eyes to meet his, she gave him a shy smile so familiar it made his heart swell.

Blue. All he could see was blue. That smile warmed those mesmerizing blue eyes, lighting them with a fire that somehow he knew burned just for him. Blue, calm and soothing, but alive and dancing; drawing him to her from the moment he first saw them. Blue, comfortable and warm, like the worn, faded jeans he pushed down over his hips. Blue on blue, their eyes met and held as she swung her leg over his lap and sank slowly down onto him.

The blue enveloped him, warm and welcoming, bringing him home to her. Blue surrounded him, pulsing and hot, squeezing him tight, and drawing him deeper. Pools of blue sighed and whispered like nylon sliding against wool, ebbing around them as they moved together. Tiny waves of blue lapped at their skin, melding him to her and fusing her to him. Then, a tidal wave of blue engulfed them; pushing them, pulling them, and finally casting them adrift on tremors of pleasure shook their bodies.

Ebb and flow, the blue crashed over them, washing the traces of red away, leaving them spent and satiated, clinging to one another as it receded.

The jumble of coats slid beneath him as Luke nestled into the curve of her neck, his lips worshiping her flushed skin. Her bare breasts heaved against his chest, and he whispered into her hair, "I just wanted to come home."

"I never wanted you to go."

Luke pulled back, looking deep into those bottomless azure eyes. "I never really did."

**(Miss Ethridge regrets the debauching of Cole Porter's work by using in conjunction with this author's note and title. Aw, who am I kidding? No apologies and no regrets! Happy birthday, Jewels!)**


	51. Incredible, but True

**A/N: I know what you're thinking: What better way to spend a Holy Day of Obligation than reading trashy stories, right? This little slip of a story belongs to Iwannahorn, who at long last is my rightful owner. It's the first of three Slips offered in the Support Stacie Author Auction. I think I should now hold honorary Canadian citizenship, since one of our friends from The Great White North now owns at least a bit of each of these chapters. Good day! Take off! I'm crazy aboooot hockey! See? I'd fit right in, eh?**

**Incredible, but True**

"Um...." she sniffled. "I just thought I had everything under control, but I didn't, and the inn is just falling apart. This has been my dream forever, and I have it, and it's here, and I'm failing. I can't handle it. I just spend every minute running around and working and thinking."

Wrapping his arm tightly around her shuddering shoulders, Luke drew her closer. They sank back onto the bench as Lorelai picked up steam.

"And I thought I would have help, but Sookie has Davey, and Michel has Celine, and I'm -- I can't do it all by myself. And I don't even have time to see my kid; and hell, forget see her, just even talk to her. And I miss her," she rambled, and his arm tightened around her.

"And I sat there in my parents' house just listening to my grandmother basically call me a charity case, and I couldn't even argue with her. I couldn't even say anything, because I am." She hiccupped softly as the breath caught in her chest. "I'm running out of money, and I don't know what to do about it, and I was gonna, I was gonna ask you for $30,000 at dinner tonight. That's how pathetic I am," she finished in a rush, unable to lift her head and look him in the eye.

Luke cleared his throat, trying to buy time enough to process all she had told him. "Thirty thousand dollars. Well, okay, I mean if you…."

Shaking her head vehemently, Lorelai burrowed into him. "I don't want to talk about it now. I don't want to think about it." She hid her face in the soft wool of his sweater. The comforting scents of his leather jacket, woodsy aftershave, and just Luke were enough to free her just a little. "I'm failing," she sobbed as she turned her face into his chest, wanting to hide from the word as much as its meaning. "I'm failing," she whispered.

Luke's arm's tightened around her, grounding her to him. He lifted one hand to cradle her head as she cried, his fingertips stroking her soft hair. "You are not failing," he enunciated firmly as he pressed his chin to the crown of her head to hold them both steady.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do," Lorelai murmured, clinging to him.

Stroking her hair gently, Luke continued to hold her as the sobs wracked her thin frame. "It's okay," he murmured over and over again.

For a moment, Lorelai took his words at face value, desperately wanting to believe that it _would_ be okay. Bracing one hand on his chest, she curled her fingers into his sweater, hanging onto him as she let her anxiety and frustration flow out with her tears. Luke's fingers danced over her hair, feathery light strokes that should have seemed ineffective, but instead were the only thing that were keeping her from shattering into a thousand pieces.

The moment she could catch her breath she whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Shh," he hissed, the censure in his tone gentled by the warmth of his palm cradling her head. "Shh," he whispered again, pulling her a little closer to let her know that he still had her.

When her breath stopped catching in her chest, Luke lifted his head but kept his arms wound protectively around her. Scanning the square, he spotted a lone dog walker on the opposite side, and Mrs. Slutsky hurrying into the market before it closed.

"Okay?" he asked, croaking the word through the lump lodged firmly in his throat.

"I'm okay," she confirmed weakly as she tried to pull away from him.

He released his hold on her head, but the fingers of his other hand dug into her arm of her coat, holding her against his side. "Come on," he said gruffly, and shifted so they rise from the bench.

"I'm okay," Lorelai repeated as she rose on unsteady legs.

"Come on," he said again, coaxing her toward his truck.

"Luke, you don't have to…."

Her protests were cut off as he reached for the passenger door. "You need food," he stated firmly.

Lorelai had a sudden flash of what she must look like. "I can't … I don't…. Luke, look at me. I can't go anywhere looking like this," she argued.

Drawing away from her at last, he wrenched open the passenger door and held it for her. "You're fine," he said firmly. When she hesitated, he drew a deep breath and ran his hand lightly over the sleeve of her coat. "You're fine, Lorelai. You just need a little food and some rest."

A tiny smile quirked the corner of her mouth as she lifted her gaze to meet his. "You think that'll do it?"

"It can't hurt."

"Probably not," she admitted with a laugh.

"Get in. I'll run over to Doose's and pick up some stuff to make at your house."

"But I'm supposed to buy you dinner," she said stubbornly.

"We'll reschedule. Get in," he ordered gruffly.

"Luke, about the mon…."

He cut her off by lifting one hand. "Not now," he said brusquely. "Get in. I have exactly four minutes before Taylor closes and I'm pretty sure that you don't have anything but frozen tater tots."

Lorelai smirked and shook her head as she climbed into the cab of the truck. "Shows what you know - I ate the last of them last night."

Luke nodded curtly and stepped away to close the door. "Don't move. I'll be right back."

Lorelai simply nodded and let her head fall back against the seat as the door creaked and then slammed shut. She bit her lip hard as she closed her eyes, trying to fight back the mortification that threatened to swamp her. Craning her neck, she glanced up at the rearview mirror in time to see the tail of Luke's leather coat disappear through the door of the market.

For a fleeting moment, she contemplated making a run for it. Her every instinct told her that flight would be so much easier than fight. She could dash across the square and head for home. It would be so easy. She could curl up in her bed, pull the blankets over her head, and squeeze her eyes shut in an effort to block out this horror of a day. Reaching for the door handle, she felt her fingers curl around the smooth metal lever, but her brain couldn't seem to process the message to force her fingers to pull on it. Her brain knew that it would be of no use, it knew that Luke would come after her.

"Oh God," she whispered as she pulled her hand back, and used both of them to cover her burning cheeks. She stared blankly at the loose button on her coat, and tried to embed a mental note to fix it before she lost it completely.

The thought made her snort as she tipped her head back again. Staring up at the startlingly pristine headliner in the cab of Luke's ancient truck she shook her head slowly, forcing herself to admit that she had already completely lost it.

****

"What is all this crap?" Luke asked as he shouldered his way past her into her kitchen.

Lorelai kicked off her shoes and eyed the flea market finds she had left strewn across the kitchen table, wincing slightly as he used one of the grocery bags in his arms to shove a pile aside. "Stuff I bought for the inn," she answered woodenly. "Little stuff," she added in a slightly defensive tone.

Luke nodded and placed the other bag on the counter. He stepped back and rubbed his palms together, obviously trying to formulate a plan of attack. He slipped the leather coat from his shoulders, and then draped it over the back of a chair before plunging his arm into the bag. "Can we move it?" he asked as he gestured to the table with his free hand.

Lorelai nodded and took a quick step forward to start collecting the dozens of knick-knacks she had gathered from here and there over the past few weeks. "Pretty, huh?" she asked as she lifted a faux-Delft bud vase and held it up for his approval.

Luke paused as he pulled out a package of pasta noodles. Glancing over his shoulder, a tiny frown creased his brow as he spared her prize a glance. "Uh, yeah, nice," he said with a nod.

"Got it for a quarter."

Luke saw the tiny, proud smile that curved her lips and nodded more enthusiastically. "Great."

"And these," she said as she picked up a trio of small antique-looking picture frames. "I got these three for a dollar. They aren't really antiques," she went on in a rush, gathering more treasures in her arms. "I just liked the way they looked."

"They'll look nice," he answered carefully.

With a sheepish nod, Lorelai hurried toward Rory's room to deposit her collection on the un-used bed. Straightening up, she glanced back at the doorway, and then planted her hands on her hips as she drew in a deep breath. "You really don't have to do this," she called out to him.

"It's pasta out of a package and sauce from a jar, Lorelai. This, I can handle," he answered.

Lorelai took inhaled deeply once more, wishing that the worry she heard in his terse tone didn't cut so deeply. The water ran in the sink. The stove tick-tick-ticked and then a burner whooshed to life. A pot clattered on the grate. She heard him muttering under his breath as he sought another pot from the jumble in her cabinet.

"About the money," she began before she could stop herself.

The clatter of pots and pans suddenly ceased. "Lorelai, don't worry about the money," he said gruffly.

She laughed softly, her gaze dropping to the shabby-chic junk piled on her daughter's vacant bed. "I have to worry about the money," she said quietly.

"I'll help you," Luke said just as softly.

Lorelai jumped and whirled around to find him hovering in the doorway with a small sauce pan clutched in his hand. "You don't have to…."

"I want to," he said quickly. "I may not be able to do it all right away, but we'll see. I'll help however I can."

"I have charts and graphs, a business proposal," she said earnestly.

Luke shook his head. "I don't need 'em. Besides, I helped you with that business plan," he said with a shrug.

"We'll draw up terms."

"I'm not worried about the terms," he grumbled. "I know you'll be fine."

He turned back to the kitchen, leaving her standing alone in Rory's room. Lorelai bit her lip to keep a fresh round of tears from starting, and then, for the first time in days, she took a breath that she didn't have to gulp. A soft 'pop' echoed off of the walls as the vacuum seal on a jar of pasta sauce was released.

It was typical Luke. Long before Sookie mentioned his name, Lorelai had already considered asking Luke for help a half dozen times. Somewhere deep down she knew he'd come through for her. He always did. He'd answered her endless questions when she prepared her business plan, he gave her referrals for an accountant and an attorney, and he allowed her to list his name as a reference on applications for loans and lines of credit. No, she had known that Luke wouldn't say no to her, and that made asking him even harder.

Squaring her shoulders, she looked up at the Yale pennant tacked to Rory's wall. "You won't regret it," she vowed.

A moment later he answered, "I know I won't."

Lorelai smiled at the certainty in his voice. "You sure are a know-it-all," she said, shoving her hands into her coat pockets as she turned toward the bedroom door.

Leaning against the frame, she watched as he rummaged through one of her cabinets and somehow unearthed two jars of seasonings she didn't know she owned.

"Some things I just know," he said as he shook an indiscriminate amount of each canister into the sauce pan and began to stir.

Lorelai stood back, entranced by his ease among the appliances that had always intimidated her. Her fingers curled around a scrap of paper, and a tiny frown furrowed her brow as she pulled it from her pocket. The moment she saw the familiar wrapper, the frown was chased away by a brilliant smile.

"Hey, since you're gonna be an investor," she said as she stepped into the kitchen.

Hearing the smile in her voice, he spared her a quick look. Smothering his relief, he tore open a bag of prepared salad greens and dumped them into a mixing bowl. "I'm not gonna be an investor, I'm just helpin' you guys out."

"With money, which makes you an investor," she countered as she moved closer to him. "We have our first reservation," she told him as she held out the scrap of paper for him to see.

Luke looked down at the wrapper she held between her fingers, his eyebrows lifting as he asked, "Big Red? I thought people usually used, 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'," he said with a sardonic smile.

"Other side," she said as she thrust the wrapper at him.

Luke took it from her and read the information she had scribbled on the back of the wrapper. "Congratulations."

"Don't drop it in the sauce," she cautioned. "I want to keep it."

"In case you need to spit out your gum?"

"It was all I had handy," she retorted, plucking the precious scrap from his fingertips. "We didn't even know our phone was hooked up."

Luke turned and smiled at her. "Congratulations," he said quietly.

"Thank you." Lorelai took a small step back and leaned against the counter as she studied the gum wrapper. "Not very dignified, I suppose."

"Doesn't matter," Luke said as he gave the pasta sauce another stir.

"The computers aren't up yet, so I wrote it in our fancy new reservation book," she told him. "I just … I want to keep this," she said as she walked over to the refrigerator and tacked the wrapper to the door with a magnet shaped like Marvin the Martian.

Luke nodded as he pulled a loaf of frozen garlic bread from the grocery bag. "I don't suppose you have a cookie sheet?" he asked with a wry smile.

Lorelai snorted. "Proving that you don't know it all," she said as she opened the oven door and pulled out a spattered and battered baking sheet.

Luke nodded and quickly tore open the bag. Once he placed the loaf on the sheet, he reached for one of the seasoning bottles and grimaced as he shook its contents onto the pre-buttered bread.

"I keep the first dollar I ever made at the diner in my wallet," he said gruffly.

"You do?"

Luke nodded. "I think it's a rule, or something."

"You didn't frame it?"

Luke snorted softly. "Nah. I just have it."

"Can I see it?"

Luke glanced up sharply. "It's just a dollar."

"It's not just a dollar. I want to see it," she insisted, wriggling her fingers at him impatiently.

Luke rolled his eyes as he wiped his hands on a dish towel. Extracting his wallet from his back pocket, he opened it and used two fingers to fish a folded bill from the hidden compartment behind his driver's license. "See? Just a dollar," he said as he held it up.

Lorelai reached out and gently extracted it from his fingers. Cradling the dollar reverently in her hand, she looked up at him, her eyes shining with a mixture of hope and worry. "Did it feel good?" she whispered.

Luke nodded. "Really good."

"I bet."

"You'll know soon," he promised.

Lorelai smiled wanly. "Probably not. Most people don't pay for hotel rooms with singles."

"True."

"What was it for? Who was your first customer?"

Luke shrugged as he opened the bag of pasta noodles and dumped some into the bubbling water in the larger pot. "Patty was my first customer, but Taylor was the first to pay."

"Started sticking it to him early, did ya?" she asked with a laugh.

Luke chuckled, but shook his head. "Not really. He only ordered a glass of iced tea because he was afraid I didn't know how to cook."

"I see," she responded with a sage nod. "What did Patty order?"

"Tuna melt with fries," he answered promptly as he slid the cookie sheet into the oven. Pulling a cucumber and a tomato from the Doose's bag, he held them up. "I know a cutting board is too much to ask," he said dryly.

"You have much knowledge."

"A plate, then," he decided.

"Help yourself." Still holding the dollar bill, she moved out of his way.

Once he had appropriated a plate and a sharp knife, Lorelai watched as he expertly cut the tomato into bite-sized pieces and edged them from the plate into the mixing bowl filled with lettuce. When he positioned the cucumber on the plate she asked, "Were you scared?"

Luke fingers tightened on the cucumber a little, and then he nodded as he deftly began to slice it into thin circlets. "I told you I passed out, remember?"

"I thought you were making that up."

"Wanna feel the dent in my head?"

Lorelai grinned. "You know, I kinda do."

"Tough," he muttered as he elbowed her further along the counter.

She just laughed and shook her head, her gaze falling to the neatly folded dollar in her hand. "I do appreciate this, Luke."

He paused and then nodded an acknowledgement. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Lorelai watched as he scooped up a handful of cucumber slices and dropped them into the salad. "I think I'll go wash my face," she said as she pushed away from the counter. "Here's your dollar."

Luke nodded to the table. "Just leave it there. I'll get it in a minute."

Lorelai placed it on the table and then finally started to shed her pink coat. "Be right back."

"Take your time."

**

Luke turned to watch her go, and then exhaled slowly as he turned back to the stove. It was true. The pasta, and fake garlic bread, and thirty thousand dollars he could handle - Lorelai's tears, he could not. The fear and uncertainty he saw in her bright blue eyes cut him to shreds. He turned his head and stared at the gum wrapper that had the power to make her smile.

Lifting the edge of the magnet, he pulled the scrap from Marvin's safekeeping and held it cupped in the palm of his hand, wishing that he had the power to make her smile like this stupid gum wrapper did. Rubbing an absent hand over his chest, Luke felt the slightly damp spots where Lorelai's tears had soaked through the tightly woven fabric. His jaw tightened with resolve as he stared down at the wrapper that would bear witness to her future success, and he moved decisively toward Rory's room.

Plucking an oval frame from the jumble of junk on the bed, he flipped it over and cast a furtive look over his shoulder as he began to pry the worn cardboard easel from its back. He fumbled the scrap as he tried to center it behind the dusty glass, and then fitted the backing into its slots once more, pressing the tabs with his thumbs to secure it.

"What are you doing?"

He jumped, bobbling the frame before pressing it to his chest in a futile attempt to hide his subterfuge. "What?" he asked as he spotted her standing in the doorway, still wearing her black dress and stockings.

"What are you doing?" Lorelai repeated as she stepped into the room.

"I was, uh…." Luke cast about, his cheeks warming as he tried to formulate a plausible excuse to be standing in Rory's bedroom with a picture frame in his hands. "Weren't you going to change?"

"You're still dressed up, and I made you dress up, so I stay dressed up," she answered with a shrug. "What are you doing with that?" she asked, nodding to the frame in his hands.

Still unable to scare up an excuse, he sighed and offered her the frame. "Here."

Lorelai shot him a puzzled glance as her fingers wrapped around the frame. She looked down, her eyes widening as she saw the Big Red logo trapped beneath the glass. "Oh, Luke."

"Crap, it's the wrong side," he muttered as he tried to snatch it back from her.

Lorelai held tight, pressing the filthy glass to her own chest protectively. "No!"

"But the thing is on the other side," he argued. "And it's upside down."

"No, this is perfect," she insisted, batting his hand away. Lorelai stole another glance at the wrapper that held the secret of her triumph and tragedy. Her eyes flooded with tenderness as she looked up at him. "This is … perfect."

"But…."

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice breaking with sincerity.

Luke rocked back on his heels, his hands falling to his sides. "You're welcome."

Their eyes locked for a moment, and Luke forced himself to look away. "Uh, dinner is almost ready."

Lorelai nodded, her eyes dropping to the frame in her hands. "I'll get plates and stuff," she said as she spun and headed for the kitchen.

Luke hesitated in the doorway, watching as she pulled his folded dollar to the center of the table and anchored it with the framed wrapper.

"There," she announced, beaming a proud smile at him.

"I'll get the salad," he said brusquely, springing into action once again.

Lorelai sighed heavily when he began dishing up salad and murmured, "There had to be a catch."

**

"That was so good," she said as she finally pushed her plate away.

Luke quirked an eyebrow. "Sure you don't want thirds?" he asked facetiously.

"I might. Save the leftovers," she instructed as they both rose from the table.

"I'm not sure there _are_ any leftovers," he muttered as he moved to the stove. "When was the last time you had a decent meal?"

"When was the last time I was in the diner?" Lorelai replied as she scraped the remainder of her salad into the trash can.

"You can't do that, Lorelai," he grumbled. "You have to eat, and I don't mean that crap you usually eat," he added sternly.

Lorelai moved to the sink and dropped her bowl and fork into it. "You make the crap I usually eat," she pointed out as she began clearing the rest of their plates and utensils.

"I'm serious. You're under a lot of stress these days, and that means you have to take better care of yourself. Eat a salad or a piece of fruit," he said, just getting warmed up.

"I'm fine, Luke. It's just been a rough few days," she assured him.

"Lorelai…." he continued as he lifted the pots from the stove.

"Just leave those in the sink, I'll wash them," she interjected. When he shot her a dubious glare, she rolled her eyes. "I can do dishes. Actually, I like doing dishes, it relaxes me."

Snorting softly, he snapped a lid onto the Cool Whip container holding her leftovers and carried it to the fridge. "There should be enough there for lunch tomorrow."

Lorelai placed the rest of their dishes in the sink and turned to him, grasping his arm tightly. "Really, I'm okay now."

"You sure?"

"I am. I will be," she promised. "I'm sorry I freaked out on you."

"No problem."

She laughed softly. "The last time I saw such panic on anyone's face was when I showed up at the Junior League Spring Tea with safety pins in my ears."

"No, I, uh … I wasn't…. Safety pins?"

"Punk wasn't pretty, Luke," she said solemnly. When he continued to stare at her searchingly, she smiled. "I appreciate it. I do. I'm just sorry that I scared you."

"I wasn't scared."

Lorelai treated him to another eye roll, and then asked, "How do you feel about garbage detail? Too scary? Afraid of rogue raccoons?"

Luke chuckled and shook his head as he went to pull the trash bag from the can. "Better than weeping women," he muttered as he hoisted it free and headed for the back door.

"I thought you'd see it my way."

The moment he disappeared, Lorelai sank into her chair gratefully. Her gaze floated over the framed wrapper at the center of the table to the worn green bill beneath it. She pulled it free from the frame's stand, tracing the creased edges of it with the pad of her finger as she thought of the cautionary tales of new business ownership she had coaxed out of him while they shared their meal.

Gently, she began to unfold the bill, and fixed her eyes on the serial number printed on its face as if to memorize it. Another scrap of paper fell from the folds and drifted to the tabletop. Lorelai reached for the torn piece of newsprint and carefully unfolded it. Her eyebrows arched as she saw that it was a horoscope, but all potential mockery fled from her head as she recognized the handwriting that all but obliterated the fading print.

_You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away._

Lorelai sucked in a breath, holding it deep in her lungs as she stared at her own handwriting in disbelief. The words themselves blurred in front of her, replaced by images of porch rails repaired, donuts plated and slid the length of a counter, and a man standing in the doorway to her daughter's bedroom promising to help make her dream come true.

The back door opened, and she shot straight up in her seat. She looked up to see Luke locking the door securely behind him.

"Did you know your back gutters were clogged?" he demanded as he turned on the faucet.

"Uh…."

"I got up on the rail and scooped enough out for now, but you might want to see about hiring one of the neighborhood kids to give them a good cleaning," he instructed as he pooled dish soap in the palm of his hand and began to rub his palms together. "I think the Kelly kid does a lawn service thing in the summers. Not the little one, the middle one. Give his mom a call."

"Luke?"

"I can do them, but I wouldn't be able to get to them for a week or so. Caesar's gonna be off next weekend," he continued.

"Luke?"

He sighed as he reached for the dish towel he'd hung neatly beside the sink. "Okay, fine, maybe Sunday, but it'll depend on if I can get Lane in to cover. I'll bring a new washer for the sink too."

"Luke? What's this?" she said as she held up the horoscope.

He shrugged, his face completely blank. "I don't know. What is it?"

"It was folded up inside your dollar." Lorelai stood up and extended her arm, offering the newsprint to him with the tips of her fingers.

Luke shot her a nervous glance and then gingerly extracted the paper from her fingers. The towel dangled from his fingers as he unfolded it, and color flooded his cheeks. He squinched his eyes shut for a moment, and then blinked rapidly to clear his vision. "It's, uh, you gave this to me," he began in a deep, rasping voice.

"The handwriting was familiar, yes," she said as she took a step closer to him. "Why is it in your wallet?"

Luke looked up, a puzzled frown bisecting his eyebrows. "You told me to put it there."

"I did?"

He nodded slowly, and took a deep breath and tried for casual. "You said something about good luck."

"I did, huh?"

Luke averted his gaze, running his hand over his jaw thoughtfully. "Yeah, I think so."

"So you kept it in your wallet?"

"I guess so," he said, tossing the towel onto the counter. "Well, I should go," he said as he took a hasty step forward and reached for his coat.

"Luke…."

"We'll talk tomorrow," he said as he plucked the leather jacket from the back of the chair. "Blueberry pancakes in the morning," he added in a rush.

"Why are you giving me this money?" she blurted.

Luke reared back. "What?"

"Why, Luke?"

"You asked me for it," he answered stiffly.

"And if Kirk asked you to loan him thousands of dollars, would you?"

"Kirk's an idiot."

"You think I'm crazy."

"But you're not an idiot," he blustered. Lorelai arched an eyebrow at him challengingly. "I mean, I know you'll work hard. I know you'll make it happen. That's all," he insisted.

"Despite the crazy."

Luke rolled his eyes, his jaw clenching as he turned to glare at the dollar bill stretched out on the table. "I don't think you're crazy," he admitted reluctantly.

"No?"

He huffed and impatient breath. "If I thought you were crazy, I wouldn't give you thirty cents."

"I see," she murmured. She turned and picked up his dollar, studying it thoughtfully for a moment. "So, you think I can do this?" she asked slowly.

Luke met her gaze directly, his deep blue eyes boring into hers as he said, "I know you can. You know it too."

She cocked her head. "So you _do_ think you know it all," she concluded.

He shook his head, his eyes never wavering from hers. "Just some things."

Acting purely on impulse, Lorelai leaned in and pressed her lips softly to his. Bracing one hand on his shoulder she whispered, "There. Did you know I would do that?"

"No," he exhaled, staring at her wide-eyed.

"Do you know what would happen if I did it again?"

"No." When she began to lean in, he blinked in disbelief and rasped, "Yes!"

"Yes? You do?" she asked, her breath tickling the moist skin of his lips.

"Don't."

"Don't?"

He shook his head slowly, and then closed his eyes as he averted his face. "Don't," he repeated.

"Oh. Okay. Uh, sorry," Lorelai mumbled as she took a stumbling step back.

"Don't," he said more forcefully. "Don't do that because of _that_."

"Because of what?" she asked, bewildered.

"Don't kiss me because I'm helping you out," he ground out, his voice rising.

"Aren't you helping me out so that I'll kiss you?" she asked pointedly.

"No!"

"Then, why?"

"Is that what you think of me? Is that what you think _I_ think of you?" Luke demanded.

Throwing her hands up in frustration, the dollar slipped from her fingers and floated to their feet. "I don't know what to think!"

"I've gotta get out of here," he growled as he stooped to scoop up the dollar, and then swung toward the back door to make his escape.

"Luke, wait!" she cried, reaching for his arm.

"Listen, let's just forget this, okay?" he asked as he fumbled the lock.

"No! I don't want to forget it!" Her fingers gripped his bicep, pressing into muscle as she planted her feet and dug in.

"What do you want from me?" he shouted as he whirled on her.

"I don't know!" Lorelai's breath came in pants as her fingers burrowed into his arm, holding fast. "I know I don't want my sink fixed, or my gutters cleaned! I know I don't want your money if it comes with strings attached!"

"There are no strings! You asked, I agreed, you talked about terms, I told you that I didn't care about terms!"

Lorelai's jaw dropped as his words sank in. "You don't care," she repeated skeptically.

"Not about the money," he said stiffly.

Nodding slowly as she digested the implication that hung heavy in the air. "Okay," she breathed. "Okay."

Luke's eyes narrowed. "Okay, what?"

"Come here," she said as she tugged on his arm, pulling him back to the table. She nudged him into the seat he had vacated earlier, and then reached for a paper napkin. "Don't move," she ordered as she turned to rummage through one of the kitchen drawers.

"Lorelai, it's been a long night…."

"Just hang on," she said as she dashed into Rory's room. She emerged a moment later with a pen in her hand and dropped into her chair as she began to scribble numbers onto the napkin. "There," she said, and she pushed it toward him.

Luke scowled at the figures on the napkin and shook his head. Snatching the pen from her hand, he slashed through one of the numbers and wrote another at the bottom. "That's okay. That's too much. That's sufficient," he said tersely, and then shoved the napkin across the table to her.

"I'm going to type up something legal and binding," she warned him.

"Fine, whatever," he said dismissively.

"So, we're agreed?"

"Yeah."

Carefully folding the napkin, she looked over at him and whispered with heartfelt gratitude, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Lorelai offered him her hand to shake, smiling as he rolled his eyes and took it in his. When he moved to pull his hand back, she held fast. "What would happen?"

"What?"

"You said you knew what would happen if I kissed you again," she reminded him. "What would happen? Do you know?" she asked as she rose from her seat.

"Lorelai, I don't…."

"I do. I want to know," she exhaled as she leaned down and kissed him softly. She waited, her lips lingering on his, both anticipating and dreading his response as she pulled away.

"Lorelai," his voice cracked as he opened his eyes and searched hers for answers.

"Okay, I think I knew," she confessed in a whisper. "I think I knew and that scared me. Are you scared?"

Luke stared at her for a moment, and then nodded mutely.

She smiled, her eyes brightening at his admission. "I knew that too."

"Know-it-all," he grumbled and then pushed from the chair, his mouth capturing hers as he rose.

"Takes one to know one," the words burst from her as they parted.

Luke wasted no more time arguing with her. He wrapped one arm around her waist, his hand splayed across her back as he pulled her closer. "You wanted to know."

His heavy leather coat dangled unheeded from his fingers as he lifted his hand to her cheek, holding her there. Soft, supple leather caressed her skin as his warm mouth covered hers once more. Lorelai hummed her approval, angling her head and parting her lips slightly to ask for more.

Parting her lips with the tip of his tongue, Luke groaned as her tongue eagerly sought his. Shaking the coat free of his fingers, it slithered to the floor to pool at their feet and he plunged his hand into her hair. When they came up for air, Luke drew only the barest of breaths and then kissed his way along the graceful curve of her jaw.

"My hair's a mess," Lorelai whispered.

"Beautiful," he murmured against the throbbing pulse in her throat.

"I reek of disappointment and disapproval. They call it Chanel No. 5."

"You smell great and you taste incredible," he countered, his breath warm and moist against her ear.

Lorelai ran her hands across his broad shoulders, and then smoothed them over the taut muscles of his back. "You feel incredible."

"I know I want you, Lorelai," he rasped in her ear. "I know it doesn't matter to me if you act crazy, or you stuff yourself full of junk food, or you talk all the time; I still want you. All of you."

"Luke," she murmured, roughing his neatly combed hair with her fingers and trailing her nails over his scalp.

She felt a shiver run through him, and then he tensed, his muscles quivering with barely restrained need. Lorelai took a step back, and Luke resisted for a moment, his arms tightening fractionally before he let her go with a resigned sigh. "I'm sorry."

A nervous laugh bubbled from her lips. "You are?"

"I mean, yeah, too much," he mumbled, clearing his throat nervously.

"Too much?" Lorelai studied him for a moment, and then slid one hand down to capture his. "Huh. I was thinking it wasn't enough," she said as she turned toward the stairs, pulling him along behind her.

When she reached the landing, he stopped on the second stair, pulling on her hand until she stopped and turned toward him. Luke looked up at her and said, "I knew that if you did it again I wouldn't want you to stop."

Lorelai smiled. "That's what I was scared of too."

"Are you still scared?" he asked worriedly.

Shaking her head, she leaned down and brushed her lips against his. "No. It's funny, I'm not scared at all," she whispered.

Luke mouth twitched as she pulled away. "Yeah, me neither."

"Liar," Lorelai laughed, tugging on his hand as she started up the stairs, gaining speed with each step they took.

At the threshold of her bedroom, she released his hand and turned to walk backward into the room. "It's crazy how un-scared I am," she said with a breathless laugh.

"You're crazy." He followed her into the messy bedroom and shook his head in dismay as he glanced around.

"You said I wasn't."

"I was placating you. That's what you do with crazy people," he said with a careless shrug, and then pulled her into his arms.

"Do you want to placate me some more?" she teased.

"More than anything."

"What's stopping you?"

Luke lifted one hand to her face and pressed his palm to her cheek, his thumb gently caressing her cheekbone. "I knew the day you gave me that stupid horoscope, Lorelai."

"Luke," she sighed, reaching up to cover his hand with hers.

"It's true. I knew all along."

"You should have told me sooner," she chastised.

"I didn't know if you'd listen."

He kissed her fervently, banding her to him as she opened her mouth, welcoming the sweep of his tongue against hers. He pushed back, putting six inches of space between them, but resting his forehead against hers as they panted for air. "This is your chance. You brought me up here. This is your last chance to tell me to go," he whispered raggedly.

"You know I want you to stay," she answered simply.

"Yeah, I know."

Luke kissed her again, his lips molding to hers as they melded. Lorelai parted her lips, but Luke held back for a moment, capturing her breath and drinking her in before allowing his tongue to circle hers in a slow, sensuous dance.

She wasn't quite sure if she moaned, but she knew without a doubt that the groan that rumbled from the back of his throat was the most incredible sound she had ever heard. Sliding her hands under the hem of his sweater, she found the smooth, heated skin of his back. His muscles bunched as she caressed the hard ridges that bracketed his spine, and when he shuddered she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the gasp that filled the room was hers.

His fingers sought and found the zipper hidden at the nape of her neck, inching it down slowly as she pressed against the unyielding wall of his chest. She let her head fall back as he pressed hot, wet kisses to her neck, and then he seemed to get distracted by the hollow at the base of her throat. "Luke," she panted as his tongue laved the tender flesh.

"Shh."

"Zipper."

"Oh. Oh yeah," he murmured as straightened a bit and jerked the zipper down to the base of her spine. He slid his fingers under the gaping fabric, his hands roaming greedily over her soft skin. "Incredible," he murmured, and then lifted his head to capture her mouth again.

The kiss heated fast, their tongues dueling as she moved restlessly against the straining erection pressed against her belly. Luke parted the back of her dress, pulling it impatiently over her shoulders and dragging it down her arms. When it pooled at her waist, Lorelai shoved it over her hips, kicking her legs free as he propelled her back toward the bed.

Lorelai fell back on the mattress, catching herself with one hand and holding out the other to halt his downward descent.

"What?" he asked breathlessly.

"Too many clothes," she said as she plucked at the front of his sweater.

"Oh." Luke quickly stripped the sweater off and tossed it aside. "Better?" Lorelai sat up and reached for the buckle on his belt, and he watched as she slid the tab free from the catch. "I want to look at you," he rasped.

"So look," she encouraged. She brushed the buckle aside and reached for the hooks that held the waistband of his soft wool pants.

"I want to look, but I can't," he said quickly. When her head jerked up, he smiled sheepishly and reached for her hand, pulling it to his bare chest and pressing it over his pounding heart. "I want to look, and touch, and kiss every bit of you," he said in a husky voice. "I'm just a little scared I won't be able to take it."

Lorelai began to stroke the soft hair on his chest with the tips of her fingers as she stared up at him. She tried to keep her expression solemn, but she could see by the amused light in Luke's eyes that her own were probably giving her away. She slipped her hand out from under his, letting her nails tickle the line of hair that trailed down his stomach. His muscles quivered beneath his skin, and she watched his chest rise and fall with each breath.

"Don't be scared. I know you can take it," she murmured as she found the tab on his zipper. Luke groaned as she drew the zipper down, her knuckles brushing against his erection. "I _know_ you can."

His pants began to slide from his narrow hips, and Lorelai smiled as she planted one foot on the bed frame and pushed back to stretch out across the bed in what she hoped was an alluring pose. It must have worked, because she saw his adam's apple bob before he ducked his head and made quick work of divesting himself of his pants, socks and shoes.

He placed one hand on her nylon clad knee, his fingers curving around her thigh as he knelt on the bed. That wicked hand was excruciatingly slow, creeping higher and higher, drawing her leg up against his hip while he braced his other hand on the bed and moved up over her. His mouth hovered just over hers and he looked straight into her eyes, his own dark with warmth and arousal. "You're right, I _can_ take it," he whispered and then caught her lips in a searing kiss.

Lorelai arched her back, wrapping her arms tightly around him as he started to lower his weight onto her. She purred deep in her throat, all synapses firing like machine guns as she felt his arousal pressing into her hip, his hand stroking the back of her thigh, the solid weight of his chest crushing her breasts, and his tongue tempting hers with the promise of pleasures yet to come.

Needing a moment to regroup, she tore her mouth from his, seeking his jaw. The rasp of his stubble against her lips grounded her in reality, but his fingertips teased the curve of her bottom as he pressed against her, causing her to nearly catapult from the bed. At her frustrated grunt, Luke shifted and rolled to his side, drawing his hand up to her hip before letting it slide all the way to her knee once more.

"Where are you going?"

"Right here." Finally, he let his eyes rake the length of her body. "No underwear," he observed in a raspy voice.

"Panty lines."

Luke's fingers trailed along her inner thigh, the heel of his hand brushing against her mound as he drew it up. Lorelai bowed off of the mattress, every muscle in her body taut and humming as the tips of his fingers brushed against the cotton panel of her pantyhose. Her breath rushed from her lungs, and then she bit back a gasp of protest as his hand smoothed over the waistband to splay across her stomach.

"Please," she whispered.

Luke groaned, pressing his face into the curve of her neck as he traced lazy, swirling circles on her soft skin. "I know you, Lorelai," he murmured against her skin. His lips set a meandering course over her collarbone and then down to the freckle speckled skin of her chest. "I want to know all of you," he said gruffly, pushing up just enough to nuzzle the swell of her breasts.

"I know, I know," she chanted as his tongue traced the outline of one lacy cup. "I want to know too."

His fingers slipped up under the wire supporting one breast, and then slid to the tiny plastic catch that held the fabric together. A moment later, she closed her eyes as it gave way. Luke brushed each cup away, his knuckles grazing the pebbled flesh of her rosy nipples.

She could feel his breath rushing over her skin; hot, moist, and ragged with restraint. She could feel her heart racing, and her skin fevered with anticipation. When she opened her eyes and found him staring up at her, his dogged patience warring with the desire that flamed in his eyes. He held her gaze as he lowered his head, his damp lips tickling the sweet rise of her breast with the barest of kisses. Lorelai clamped one hand to his shoulder, her fingertips conveying her urgent need as they pressed into the muscle.

He pressed his lips to the valley between her breasts, letting them cling to her as he cupped her breast, and squeezing gently when her nipple abraded his palm.

"More," she urged softly.

Quick as lightning, Luke turned his head, capturing her gaze as his mouth captured her other nipple. Lorelai cried out, the sound of it bouncing off of the walls as she plunged her hand into his hair, holding him to her. He circled the beaded crest and then flicked it with his tongue. Her fingers fisted in his hair, pressing him to her. Luke grazed her nipple with his teeth, reveling in the tiny mewling sounds escaping her kiss swollen lips, and then drawing her into his mouth and suckling fervently.

By the time he moved to shower her other breast with the same attention, Lorelai was certain that her head would explode. Each tug of his mouth, each flick of his tongue, and each sweetly tender kiss he bestowed sent shockwaves of sensation that spiraled into a coil of heat deep in her belly. His tongue swirled and danced over her stomach. His nose brushed the underside of one breast. He inhaled deeply, and for a moment she thought that the sound of his gratified groan might be enough to make her lose control. She gathered the rumpled bedspread in one hand, clinging to it as his chest pressed to her mound, and she writhed beneath him, undulating against that solid wall of muscle.

"Luke," she whispered raggedly.

"All of you," he murmured, his lips grazing the nylon barrier that covered her belly.

"I want to touch you."

He grunted his refusal, his mouth moving steadily lower. He breathed against the dark curls trapped under the sheer black nylon, and she gasped, "Luke!"

He shook his head slightly, and then pressed his parted lips to the heated flesh at pulsed at the seam. His hand moved restlessly over her leg, his callused hands snagging slightly on the tight weave of the fabric. He pressed his nose against her, inhaling her scent and causing a deep rumble of pleasure to ripple through his chest, pulsing up his throat until it escaped through his parted lips in a rush of hot breath against her very core. His questing tongue rasped against the nylon, parting her through it, pushing the barrier into her folds even as his fingers grappled for the waistband.

Lorelai raised her hips, pressing forward to meet his mouth, pushing at the elastic that held her bound. Luke thrust his tongue into her and then wrenched away, yanking the pantyhose down over her hips and falling backward until they peeled from her legs. After tossing them over the edge of the bed, his hands encircled her ankles, pulling her legs further apart as his eager mouth devoured the smooth skin of her thighs with greedy, hungry kisses.

The moment his lips grazed the swollen folds of her sex, Lorelai twitched and jumped like a live wire. She clutched his head, pulling him closer as she circled her hips wantonly, giving herself up to his talented tongue. He drew gently on the hardened bud of her clit, sucking her into his mouth and laving her with his tongue.

She gasped, her fingernails scoring his scalp as she rose to meet him. The coil of heat that had been building deep inside of her ignited the second he plunged his tongue into her, a long fuse of pleasure snaking through her body with each ardent thrust. She called his name, but no sound came out. The slow burn intensified as he teased her clit with the tip of his tongue, low groans of masculine gratification humming against the sensitize flesh as he parted her with his fingers, thrusting first one and then two into her molten heat.

Carried away on wave after wave of delicious desire, she tried to call his name again, but her voice sounded weak and distant even to her own ears. He drew her clit into his mouth again, swirling his tongue over her as he thrust his fingers deep inside, curling them slightly to stroke her slick walls.

As her climax burst forth, she cried out again; a strangled plea of nonsensical words that bubbled from her lips and ended with her panting his name in a breathy voice with each pulsing wave of liquid heat. She subsided into satiated sighs, and Luke raised his head to press hot kisses of victory and gratitude to the damp, dark curls that covered her sex. His mouth wound its way back up her body, pulling the rest of him along that passion-soaked path as he smothered her stomach with ardent kisses, circled her breasts with zealous devotion and worshipped at the throbbing pulse in her throat.

Nearly blind with satisfaction, Lorelai's hands moved over his neck, shoulders, and back, urging him closer. When he finally raised his head to look up at her, she saw the desire-drenched wonder in his eyes.

"Thank you," he rasped, his gaze unwavering.

A laugh tripped up her throat and stumbled from her mouth. "My pleasure," she managed to whisper, as her mouth curved into a wide smile.

He lowered his body to hers, the hard length of his erection pressing against her damp heat as he buried his face in her hair. "Incredible," he murmured in an awed tone.

"Yes," she crooned, soothing him with feather light strokes of his hair that she knew from experience were more powerful than they had a right to be. "I want to touch you," she whispered. His answering groan spread the smile that curved her lips wide across her face. "I promise I'll be gentle," she coaxed.

Luke's body shook with a silent chuckle, and then he pushed up, flinging himself to his side and rolling onto his back. Turning to look at her, he said in a hoarse, drowsy voice, "You know I want you to."

**

Luke couldn't help but return her giddy smile as she scrambled on top of him, straddling his hips. When she lowered herself onto him, he felt her damp heat seeping through the cotton of his boxer briefs, and the smile faded. He bit down on his lip, exhaling loudly through his nose as his hands grasped her hips to steady her. He tried to draw in a breath, but Lorelai wriggled against him and the precious oxygen exploded from his mouth in a rush.

"Want you," was all he managed to growl.

Lorelai's smile intensified, and he fought back the urge to shield his eyes. He had wanted that smile so badly. This smile kicked the gum wrapper's smile to hell and gone. This was his smile, and there was no way he was going to miss a minute of it.

"You know, I believe that may be true," she teased as she leaned down, the tips of her breasts grazing the hair on his chest.

Luke watched as her nipples tightened on contact, his hands moving of their own volition to claim them. Lorelai kissed him softly, her lips holding her smile against his.

"I like you happy," he mumbled against her mouth.

"You know I am."

"I want … I want you to have everything."

"I know you do. I know," she assured him, pecking tender kisses to the corners of his mouth. "I want you," she whispered, and then kissed him deeply. As she drew away, she waited until the dark fringe of his lashes fluttered and she saw those indigo eyes. "You make me happy. You know that, right?"

Luke blinked up at her, and then closed his eyes as relief flowed through his veins. "I want to."

Lorelai rocked back, glancing down at his hands curved possessively over her breasts. She smiled and let her own hands smooth over his chest, her thumbs circling his flat nipples. She tweaked them gently, and his eyes flew open as he sucked in a sharp breath. Her hair trailed over her shoulder as she inched back, lowering her mouth to soothe his afflicted flesh. "Happy?" she asked as she moved from one side to the other.

"Incredibly," he rasped, as he relinquished her breasts and gathered her hair in both hands.

"The word of the day," she murmured, pressing a soft kiss to his pebbled brown nipple. "Can I make you happier?"

"Don't think it's possible," he muttered as her hands moved over his ribs to rest on his hips.

"Oh, I know it is." Lorelai curled her fingers into the waistband of his briefs and tugged playfully.

"Yeah, okay, maybe," Luke answered with a breathy laugh.

He raised his hips, allowing her to free him from the last constraint. She kissed her way back up his legs, just as he had a short time before. Her breath stirred the dark, wiry curls between his legs, and his erection jumped in response. Lorelai wet her lips and then pressed them gingerly to the swollen tip of his cock. A low guttural groan strangled him as her lips parted, sliding over his pulsing fresh with tantalizing deliberation.

His hips jerked as her tongue grazed the very tip of him, and Luke tensed his muscles in an effort to restrain the urge to push deep into the plush heat of her mouth. "Lorelai." Her name was both a plea and a prayer as it whispered from his lips.

She drew him in, running the velvet softness of her tongue over his head, pulling him deeper and deeper until he thought he would burst. When she began to move slowly up and down his shaft, he wound the long strands of her hair around his fist, desperate for something to hang onto. Squeezing his eyes shut, he fought back the pleasure rippling up from his toes. Forcing them open, he drank in the sight of her mouth closed tight around him. She opened her eyes, looking up at him from under her lashes as she rose up to the tip and then sank back down on him again. Luke clamped his other hand around her arm, urging her up.

She resisted, and his breath came in ragged gasps, his chest heaving with the effort, his abs clenched tightly. "Stop, Lorelai, stop," he begged.

She released him, looking up with a bewildered frown. "Stop?"

"Please." He opened his hand, trying to free it from the tangle of curls that he had clung to just moments before. "I want…."

Her frown smoothed into a smile. His smile. The smile that beat all other smiles to smithereens.

"Oh," she answered knowingly and began to climb back up to straddle him once more.

That knowing smile sliced through him. That smile, and the knowledge that fueled it, was enough to make him want to roll her onto her back, pin her beneath him, and drive into her with enough force to prove to her that he knew too. But he didn't. That smile, and the certainty behind it warmed him through as she rose up over him. That smile was all he needed to gather the tattered shreds of his control, even as she wrapped her fingers around his straining cock and guided him to the wet heat of her entrance.

She sank down onto him, that smile widening as she took him in inch by inch. Lorelai sat back, her fingers splayed over his hips and his flesh enveloped tight inside of her, he answered that smile with one of his own and watched her eyes widen when they met his.

"Victoria," he whispered.

"What?"

"Your name, Lorelai Victoria," he sighed with a ghost of a smile. "You look victorious," he mumbled as he pulled her down to his chest. He kissed her thoroughly, his fingers raking through her tangled hair, holding her still in that moment.

"Luke," she whispered, melting into him.

He kissed her tenderly, and then captured her hips, pressing her down as he throbbed inside of her. "Victorious," he whispered again.

Lorelai braced her hands on either side of him and pushed back, tossing her hair back over her shoulder as she rose up. "We can do this," she said as she steadied her hands on his hips.

Luke groaned as she circled her hips, his own lifting from the bed to meet her. "God, yes."

Lorelai began to ride him slowly, raising up and then plunging down, her movements swift and sure. He watched her, shallow breaths rushing from his parted lips with each stroke. Reaching up, he cupped one breast, his thumb playing over her nipple until it furled into a tight, hard bud. Her eyes closed and her mouth drew into a small, soft 'O' as she clenched around him; and Luke smiled at his victory.

Sliding his other hand between their bodies, he stroked her clit, drawing the moisture up from her folds and circling it languidly. Her breath hitched and she opened her eyes, her gaze fixing on him like a laser beam. Luke pulled his hand away, lifting it to her mouth and tracing her full bottom lip with her own juices.

Lorelai gasped, her fingers digging into his hipbone as she began to ride him harder. His hand fell away, finding purchase at her waist as he clenched his jaw and met her stroke for stroke. Her hair spilled over her shoulder as she leaned into him, grinding against the base of his cock, and grasping for every ounce of pleasure.

He felt her walls closing around him, each muscle milking the urgency that pulsed between them. He pinched her nipple in perfect time with the thrusts of their bodies, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger, pulling her closer and closer to the edge as he lay poised on the brink. Luke saw the knowledge of her impending orgasm suffice her features, and groaned as he lunged up to meet her. He wrapped his arm around her, holding her to him as he gasped against her throat.

She called his name, the sound of it bouncing clear and strong through the room, reverberating through the house and filling his brain with the echo of it as he emptied into her.

He fell back, his mouth gaping, his eyes wide as he stared up at her. He fought against the urge to close his eyes, unwilling to miss a moment of the pleasure that made her body grow limp and lax.

"Incredible," she whispered, slumping forward.

He caught her, easing her down onto his chest and holding her secure in his arms. "I've got you," he whispered.

"I know," she sighed as she nuzzled the crook of his neck. Their heartbeats hammered in time, slowing as their breathing grew deep and even. Lorelai pressed her lips to the stubble that peppered his jaw and then relaxed into him. "That's the one thing I know is true."


	52. Where Those Nagging Songs Are Found

**A/N: A/N: This chapter of Slip of the Tongue belongs to my personal hero, Sue Sylvester. Through her agents, Jewels12, Bigbagofwierd, and Ninjasquid01, Sue requested that I try to dirty up the Gnostic Gospels. Well, I'm not that brave, so I tried to do the next best thing. Thank you to Sue and her crew of Cheerios! **

**Oh, and I'm going to apologize in advance for the abuse of 80s power ballads in this one….**

**Your Head is Where Those Nagging Songs Are Found**

"You're a dick," T.J. sneered, and then walked away.

Having just caught the man's parting remark, Lorelai's eyebrows shot up. "So, I just heard the tail end of that conversation and I'm assuming you haven't changed your name to Richard?"

"Long, long story. I'll tell you later, but here's a teaser: the word Etch-A-Sketch comes up," Luke said facetiously.

She couldn't help but smile. She loved it when Luke was in a snarky mood. "I'm hooked."

"You're all dressed up," he observed.

"Just for you," she said as she gestured to the dress she had worn to the function her mother had insisted she attend.

"You go somewhere?"

"Well, my parents had a charity event and they needed a chair filled and who fills a chair better than I?"

"No one comes to mind."

A faint blush colored her cheeks. Only someone who knew Luke would know that in his strange Luke-ish way, it was a high compliment. Hell, for a guy like Luke to even notice when she did dress up was a compliment. And he always seemed to notice.

Swallowing the tingle of awareness that tickled the back of her throat she asked, "So, did Jess leave yet?"

Luke shrugged and then glanced away before meeting her gaze again. "I stopped by Gypsy's earlier and she was just about done then, so probably."

Lorelai felt herself bristle. The surge of anger she felt earlier that day was back with a vengeance, but for Luke's sake she bit down on it. "No good-byes?"

"No. Liz has a feeling about him, though. She thinks he's gonna be fine."

"He could be," she answered in what she hoped was an encouraging tone.

"Yeah." Luke pushed his hands into his pockets, and then his face lit a little. "Oh, hey! Here," he said as he extracted whatever treasure he had discovered.

Lorelai automatically opened her palm, accepting whatever it was he was offering her without hesitation, or even a hint of her usual caution. She looked down and spotted a pair earrings made of thing gold wire and delicate pearlescent beads. Lifting them from her palm, she stared at his gift in the flickering glow of the firelight, and her heart began to beat a little faster.

"Pretty," she breathed admiringly. Looking up into his eyes, Lorelai felt a sudden rush of warmth that had absolutely nothing to do with the blazing pyre beside them.

"Liz made them yesterday." Luke nodded self-consciously. "She wanted you to have them."

Lorelai's stomach dropped as she closed her gloved fingers around the earrings. "Oh, great." She glanced down at the ground, pulling her coat a little closer to ward off the chill winter air. "Well, be sure to tell her thanks for me."

"I will," he answered. Luke gave her a small smile, and Lorelai couldn't help but return it before turning toward the bonfire.

Standing next to Luke, she didn't dare let herself dwell on her disappointment. The flames danced against the inky sky, casting an almost magical glow on the faces of her friends and neighbors. Moments ticked by as Lorelai waited for Luke to take the opportunity to bolt. When he turned toward her, she braced herself for the inevitable.

"Do you want some punch?" he asked.

"What?"

"Punch. Do you want some?" he repeated.

Lorelai eyed him skeptically. "You mean the ten thousand proof punch you always claim is guaranteed to kill me?"

"Yeah."

"Because you want to off me?"

"I was just asking if you wanted me to get you a cup of punch," he retorted, his patience slipping.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to have some?"

"Hell no."

"So you _are_ trying to kill me," she concluded.

Luke raised both hands in frustration and then planted them firmly on his baseball cap. "Do you want the punch or not?" he growled.

Lorelai grinned as he restrained the obvious urge to throttle her. She turned to him again, her eyes wide and innocent. "Why, yes. Thank you so much for your gracious offer, Luke. I would love a cup of punch," she said sweetly.

"Guh," he grunted, turning on his heel and stalking toward the table Miss Patty had set up near the gazebo.

Lorelai watched, chuckling softly to herself as he stomped away and enjoying the view immensely. A burst of feminine laughter rippled through the crowd, and she saw Luke raise three fingers in a dismissive wave before veering sharply to his left. Lorelai turned and spotted Liz and three of her friends clutching each other, their gazes fixed on Luke's retreating back as they wiped tears of laughter from their eyes.

She saw Liz smile fondly as she watched Luke disappear into the throng of townies waiting their turn at the punch bowl, and then suddenly her eyes met Lorelai's. She beckoned Lorelai over with an enthusiastic wave of her hand. When Lorelai hesitated, Liz murmured something to her friends and waved again.

Forcing a smile, Lorelai moved cautiously toward the knot of women, feeling the stares of curiosity from the two she didn't know, and the sharp stabs from the daggers shooting from Carrie Duncan's narrowed eyes.

"Uh, hey, Liz," she said as she approached, keeping a wary eye on Carrie.

"Hey, Lorelai," Liz answered brightly. "Do you know Carrie, Anna, and Jill?"

"Hi, I'm Lorelai," she said, giving the others a small, awkward wave. Carrie sniffed disinterestedly and looked away, her eyes scanning the crowd. "Nice to see you again, Carrie," Lorelai added pointedly.

"Oh, yeah, uh huh."

Liz simply rolled her eyes at her friend's rude behavior. "Hey, Lorelai, we wanted to ask you something," she said, placing her hand on Lorelai's arm to command her full attention.

"Oh?"

"What has Luke got against Journey?" Jill blurted.

"Journey?"

"The band? He says they freak him out," Anna told her.

"Oh, well, gee … Steve Perry's a little spastic, I guess," Lorelai murmured.

"That's not what I wanted to ask her," Liz cut in, waving her hand to quiet her friends. " Listen, Luke hasn't said much, and I'm dying to know … have you actually met his wife?"

"Nicole?" Lorelai asked, taken aback by the question.

"Yeah," Liz confirmed.

Lorelai shifted uncomfortably, feeling the other three women's attention suddenly focused on her like a laser beam. "Uh, yeah, I've met her."

"What's she like?" Anna asked without missing a beat.

"I hear she's a lawyer," Jill chimed in.

"I can't picture Luke married to a lawyer," Liz commented with a sad shake of her head.

"I don't want to picture Luke married at all," Carrie muttered petulantly.

Before she realized what was happening, Lorelai found herself nodding – for once, in complete agreement with Carrie Duncan. When the expectant look on Liz's face registered, Lorelai frowned. "He didn't introduce you to her?"

Liz shook her head. "No, but I'm not really shocked by that. I've been kind of an embarrassment to him in the past," she said with a rueful smile.

"Oh, Liz, I'm sure that's not why," Lorelai said in a rush. Taking a deep breath, she searched for the right words to describe Luke's wife to his sister and her friends. "Uh, Nicole is … nice. She's very, um, neat. I mean, she dresses nicely. For a lawyer, you know," she stammered.

"Do you like her? Is she good for him?" Liz prodded.

"You know, I haven't really spent a whole lot of time with them together," she hedged.

"But he's happy, right? I really want him to be happy," Liz insisted.

Biting her lip, Lorelai glanced over her shoulder. The crowd at the punch table was still six people deep, and Luke was nowhere in sight. Loyalty to Luke demanded she answer in as positive a manner as she could, but she found herself wondering the exact same thing.

When she turned back to Liz, she met the other woman's pleading gaze directly. "You know, they didn't really plan to get married, so I think that scared them both a little. But, yeah, I think he's happy. I mean, they're figuring things out. You know…." she trailed off, ignoring the twisted knot forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Yeah, yeah. I get what you mean. That's cool," Liz answered quietly. She nodded, her forehead creasing just like her brother's as she processed what Lorelai had told her.

When she opened her mouth to speak, her words were cut off by the blare of a car horn. "Oh, geez, that's T.J.," she gasped. "I've gotta go, girls," she told the others, leaning in for another flurry of hugs. Turning back to Lorelai, she smiled warmly. "It was really great to meet you, friend and customer, Lorelai."

_Not wife_. The words Liz had uttered earlier in the day hung unspoken between them. "It was great to meet you too, Liz," she said quietly.

Liz gave Lorelai's arm a gentle squeeze. "Take care of my big brother, okay?" she asked as she moved past.

"I'll do my best," Lorelai replied, turning to watch as Liz waved frantically at a battered brown station wagon idling at the curb.

Tucking her hands into her pockets, she shivered in the chilly night air. Her fingers closed around the earrings Luke had given to her earlier, and her eyes widened. "Oh! Liz, wait!" she called, trotting a few steps to catch up to her.

"Yeah?" Liz asked, peering up at Lorelai curiously.

Extracting the earrings from her coat pocket, Lorelai held them up for Liz to see. "Thank you so much for the earrings, they're so pretty," she said sincerely.

Liz gasped, reaching to touch the dangling beads with her fingertips as a smile spread across her face. "He gave them to you! I knew you were his type!" she crowed, and then enveloped Lorelai in an impulsive hug.

"Whoa, no…. He just, he said you wanted me to have them."

"I did! I knew the minute I laid eyes on you that you were the one for my big brother, and I was right!"

The horn blasted again, and Liz whirled, shooting a glare that should have melted the hood ornament on the ancient wagon. Lorelai saw the man behind the wheel hold his hands up in surrender, and then Liz turned back with a radiant smile.

"Liz, Luke and I…."

"Were meant to be," she concluded. "I had a feeling about you, Lorelai. My feelings are always right. You know, my dad used to tell me he knew my mom was the one the second he first laid eyes on her. Luke's just like my dad," she said fondly.

"But, Liz, it's not like that."

"Well, not now," she answered with a shrug. "He's married to that other woman, but he's not happy, Lorelai. I can see he's not happy. It's the eyes," she explained, gesturing to her own, and nearly jabbing herself in one.

"The eyes?"

"He's eyes don't light up when he talks about her. Let me tell you, he lit up like a Christmas tree when I mentioned your name, though," she said, giving Lorelai a nudge with her elbow. "You'll see, it'll all work out."

"Well, I, uh…."

"I'm just _so_ happy he gave them to you," Liz gushed, grabbing Lorelai for another bracing hug. "I knew he would. I just knew it!" She glanced back over her shoulder at the waiting station wagon, and then sighed. "I've gotta go. Either T.J. is going to blow a gasket or that junky car we borrowed from Fat Tony is," she said regretfully.

"Fat Tony?" Lorelai asked in a bewildered tone.

"He's a good guy. Not as good as my T.J., or Luke, but a good guy. Take care, Lorelai," she said as she began to back away.

"Liz, wait!"

Liz just grinned and shook her head. "Take care of my big brother for me, okay? He's always taking care of everyone else, but sometimes he needs someone to take care of him. I'm counting on you." Liz pointed a finger at Lorelai, leveling her with a stern look that came frighteningly close to her brother's usual expression before she turned and ran toward the car.

"I will," Lorelai answered weakly. Heaving a sigh, she looked down at the earrings clutched in her palm and whispered, "I'll try."

Wandering back toward the bonfire, Lorelai scanned the crowd, checking each face in the flickering firelight to be sure she was still where she thought she was. She looked down, smoothing her hands over the wool of her coat as if to confirm that she was still who she thought she was.

Everything looked different in the firelight. Unfurling her fingers, she stared down at the earrings nestled in her palm and wondered how something so small could feel so big.

****

As Luke inched his way to the front of the line, he would swear his ass hurt from the mental kicking he had been giving it ever since he dangled those stupid earrings in front of Lorelai's eyes. At the moment, giving them to her had felt so good. Her eyes widened, and then warmed, lighting with delight as she reached for them. Her cold fingers brushed his, and he felt a jolt that shocked him to his toes. It was only when she spoke that he remembered who he was, and realized what he had done.

Still, he'd seen the disappointment in her eyes when he told her the gift was from Liz and not him. He'd seen the blush warm her cheeks as she avoided his eyes. He'd seen her wrap her arms around her stomach protectively, and felt like he'd just been kicked in the gut. He hated that he was the one who disappointed her.

Even though he knew he shouldn't have given them to her, he couldn't begin to imagine even considering giving those earrings to Nicole. Luke snorted softly, picturing the small, polite smile Nicole would have given him. His lips tightened into a line, knowing the earrings his sister had made would have been worn exactly once, and then tossed into a jewelry box to be forgotten.

His heart sank as he took another step closer to the table, settling like a ball of lead in his gut. The worst part was knowing he'd pay for what he'd done. Lorelai would wear those earrings. He'd see them on her every damn day, and never be able to tell her that _he_ was the one who wanted her to have them.

Babette and Morey stepped away from the punch bowl, and before he could stop himself, Luke grabbed one of the paper cups and downed its contents in one gulp.

"Someone has worked up a powerful thirst," Patty purred from her perch behind the table.

Luke stared blankly into the now empty cup, and then crumpled it in his hand. "I'll take another," he mumbled as he reached for his wallet.

"Luke, dear, are you okay?" Patty asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," he insisted, dropping the bills on the table and extending his hand for the cup she ladled from the bowl.

Patty gasped. "What happened to your hand, Sweetheart?"

Luke reared back slightly, staring down at the boring beige bandage that graced his palm. "Oh, uh, nothing. Just a little cut," he assured her. Snatching up the cup, he nodded to Patty and then moved quickly aside.

Once he was a safe distance away, Luke looked down at his hands with a bewildered frown. One held a cup of preternaturally potent punch with Lorelai's name on it, and the other was graced with the evidence of his earlier humiliation. Suddenly, he felt the urge to run.

He wanted to run and run, like he hadn't run since Butch Danes turned in his track shorts. Run away from ungrateful young punks who can't see that someone is only trying to help them. Run away from flaky little sisters, the prying eyes of the gossiping biddies who watch his every move, and the choking tightness that clogs his throat each time he drives into Litchfield. He didn't care if he never saw another carefully neutral wall, painstakingly hung picture, or tastefully uncomfortable piece of Swedish designed furniture. He wanted to run away from the knowledge that there was only one reason he kept his feet firmly planted in Stars Hollow.

Turning his head, picking her out of the crowd took absolutely no effort on his part. The wind teased her hair, chestnut tendrils backlit by the fire, bathed in reds and golds. As if sensing his stare, she turned, the firelight dancing over her porcelain skin as she searched the crowd. Luke stood rooted to the spot, fervently hoping he was the one she was looking for. The moment her gaze came to rest on him, a smile curved her lips, dimming the glow of the flames that leapt behind her.

"I thought maybe you'd decided to run out me," she said as he approached.

Luke choked on his greeting, wondering if she somehow knew how close he had come to doing just that. Extending the cup of punch, he cleared his throat. "Here."

"Thank you," she murmured as she took the cup and raised it to her lips.

He forced himself to look away. He could feel her eyes on him as he stared into the fire, thinking of a thousand reasons to leave, and desperately trying to come up with a good excuse to stay.

"Are you happy?" Lorelai asked quietly.

Shocked by her question, he glanced over at her. "What?"

"Are you happy? With Nicole?"

"We're not going to get into this again, are we?"

"No, no," she quickly assured him. "I'm not judging you, I swear. I just want to know."

"If I'm happy?"

"Are you?" When he didn't answer right away, she went on in a rush. "I want you to be. Everyone wants you to be. We just, uh, well … you don't seem happy," she finished softly.

Luke blinked as he stared straight into the flames. Pursing his lips, he tried to formulate a safe answer. Then he made the mistake of turning to look at her. "No."

"I'm sorry." Sincerity rang in her voice as her eyes searched his. "I am."

Luke tried to shrug it off. "My own fault."

"Still…."

They fell silent as they both turned back to the fire, but Luke would swear she inched a little bit closer to him as she clutched her cup with both hands.

"I've been seeing this guy," she began in a low voice. Luke clenched his jaw, biting back a thousand smart assed remarks about whoever this guy of hers could be. "You know, at first it was kind of a joke. Well, not really a joke…. He's my father's business partner. I started dating him to, uh, kind of stick it to my parents," she admitted softly.

Unable to come up with a suitable response to her confession, Luke just grunted an acknowledgement.

Lorelai smiled as she peered into the contents of the cup. "I like him. He's a nice guy, and we have a lot of fun together. He's funny. Completely neurotic, but funny. But tonight, he was at the thing that I was at. My parents totally don't know we've been dating," she added conspiratorially. "But we were sitting there, and this guy came by the table, and he and Jason talked for a minute. I figured he was just some other business guy, you know? The usual, 'you look well, let's play golf, my girl will call your girl' kind of stuff. And then I found out that the guy was his father," she concluded flatly.

Luke blinked in surprise. "Really?"

Lorelai nodded, staring deep into the fire. "And I started thinking on the way home. I wanted so badly to get away from all that. Those people, that kind of life, children who mean nothing to their parents…."

Luke's head swiveled. "You don't think you mean nothing to your…."

She shook her head. "No. I know my parents care about me," she said quickly. "As much as they care about anyone." She took a deep breath. "But Rory was there, filling a chair just like I was. And, all I could think about all the way home was that I never, ever want to be that polite to my kid."

Luke chuckled quietly, and she looked up at him with a small smile. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do."

She shrugged and took a sip of her punch. Her fingers curled around the cup, squeezing it until the side caved in slightly. "I don't know what I'm doing with Jason," she said in a rush.

Luke decided to stick to the most noncommittal sound he could mange. "Hmmph."

Lorelai snorted softly. "I guess you don't wanna hear about that."

Luke cocked his head, but kept his eyes locked on the bonfire. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"I don't know, either."

He closed his eyes, seeing dark red flames spiking behind the lids, feeling to cold wind on his neck, and trying to blame the hum in his blood on his sudden intake of alcohol. He had almost convinced himself that the booze was to blame when Lorelai slipped her hand under his arm, leaning closer to him. He willed his eyelids to remain shut, afraid if he opened them he'd see the same bleak reality he'd seen every damn day since she walked into his diner.

"We're a hell of a pair, huh?" she said, giving him a gentle nudge.

Luke exhaled, opening his eyes as he turned to her. "What do you mean?"

Lorelai shrugged and moved a little closer still, his arm settling disconcertingly into the valley between her breasts. "You and me. It's always the wrong people, always the wrong timing."

His throat tightened as he tried to puzzle out her meaning. When she looked up at him, her clear blue eyes piercingly direct, he felt every muscle in his body go lax. "I guess so," he managed to croak.

Lorelai gave his arm a gentle squeeze, and then looked down at the virulent liquid in her cup before lifting her eyes to his again. "So, Luke…." she began, her voice lighter.

"Hmm?" he answered, still lost in her eyes.

"How would you like to be my hero and fix me a pot of coffee?" she asked with a beguiling grin.

The oxygen seeped from his lungs, trailing out from his parted lips, and vaporizing in the cool night air. He nodded slowly, averting his eyes and looking across the square to the diner. "Yeah, okay. That's what I do, right?"

"Right," she confirmed, slipping her hand from the crook of his arm.

****

"Oh, it's warm in here," Lorelai said. She paused inside the diner door and rubbed her hands together to get the blood flowing.

Luke shed his jacket and draped it over the counter as he headed for the coffee pot. "A little colder out there than it seems."

Unbuttoning her own coat, Lorelai walked toward the counter. "That's the best part about being outside on a chilly night, coming inside where it's warm and cozy."

A coffee filter dangled from his fingers as he glanced back at her. "Cozy?"

Lorelai grinned. "Yes, you have a very cozy diner."

He rolled his eyes and then jammed the filter into the basket. "Just the effect I was goin' for."

She watched as Luke filled the coffee filter with grounds and then reached for an unlabeled canister stashed behind the machine. "Nutmeg?" she asked as he shook some onto the dry coffee grounds.

"I'll never tell."

Hunching her shoulders, she plunged her still chilled hands into her coat pockets. "You tattled on yourself years ago," she said smugly. Her fingers closed around the earrings. "You know, I've tried it at home, but it never turns out the same," she said as she drew them from her pocket.

"Gotta have the touch." Luke shoved the basket into the machine.

"I guess so." Lorelai studied the earrings in the dim glow of the diner's lights, and then began to remove the earrings she wore.

Luke placed a pot on the burner, and set it to brew in one fluid movement. She slid the wire of the second earring through her lobe and smiled as she said, "I'm so getting you a toga."

Shooting a look over his shoulder he asked, "What?"

Touching a fingertip to the dangling bead, Lorelai felt it swing on its wire, tickling the skin of her neck. "A nice white one with maybe some gold trim. Short, I think. The ladies will want to see the legs. A pair of pretty gold sandals…. You want wings on them, Butch?"

Luke turned and leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest as he leveled her with a look. "How much punch did you drink?"

Lorelai's smile widened and she pressed her palms to the worn countertop. "Liz was right. You are Caffienos, god of all things caffeinated."

"I told you not to talk to Liz, she's cracked," he grumbled.

"She adores you. You're her hero," Lorelai insisted as she started to move around the end of the counter.

"I'm no hero."

"You're my hero," she persisted, coming to a stop in front of him. "Let me see your hand."

"What?"

"Your hand. The one you cut while trying to keep me from freezing to death."

Luke slowly unfolded his arms, and she reached for his injured hand. Smoothing her fingertip over the bland, beige bandage, she looked up at him through her lashes. "Does it hurt?"

"More annoying than anything," he answered with a shrug.

Lorelai's smile widened and she lowered her eyes to his palm again. "Like me?"

"Exactly."

"Then it's the perfect reminder of me, isn't it?"

"You think I need reminders?" When she looked up sharply, he shifted uncomfortably. "I mean, you're here every day."

Lorelai nodded. "I am. I'm your friend and customer."

Luke's brow furrowed. "Yeah."

"And you're my hero," she murmured, and then bent to press a soft kiss to his bandaged palm.

When she raised her head, Luke cleared his throat and extracted his hand from hers. "You look nice."

Lorelai smiled and tossed her hair back over her shoulder, feeling the earrings dance against her skin. "I told you, just for you," she teased, her voice warm and husky.

Luke reached up, stilling one beaded earring with his finger. "They look perfect on you," he murmured.

Everything stopped. Lorelai felt her heart stop beating the second their eyes met. And then, everything started.

She didn't know who moved first, and frankly she didn't care. The moment Luke's lips touched hers, nothing else mattered. She pressed her hand to his neck to steady herself, and felt him shiver. She pressed her body against his, and the ground shifted under her feet.

Luke angled his head, his lips warm and firm, his kiss soft and seeking. She clutched the collar of his shirt, the heat of his skin seeping through his t-shirt to sear her thumb, her fingers burrowing into the soft flannel as she hung on. The tip of his tongue grazed her lower lip and she felt herself opening to him. And then he pulled away.

She stared at him, wide-eyed with shock, trying to figure out what had just happened. "Luke…."

"You look beautiful," he rasped. "I always want to say that, but I never can."

Stunned, Lorelai blinked once, twice, and considered attempting a third, but then abandoned her plan in favor of pulling his mouth back to hers and kissing him ravenously.

Luke wrapped his arms around her, hauling her against him as their tongues met. The edge of his bandage scraped against the smooth fabric of her dress as his hand slid up her spine, his fingers closing around the nape of her neck. A soft, urgent moan tumbled from her mouth into his, and his answering groan bounced off of the walls of the empty diner.

Lorelai broke the kiss, gasping for air as his lips trailed along her jaw. "We're the right people," she whispered.

Luke froze for a moment. He lifted his head as his hand slipped out from under the silken curtain of her hair.

His arm loosened and she rocked back, looking up at him with a puzzled frown. "What?" Lorelai asked breathlessly.

Tenderly, Luke cupped her cheek with his hand, the plastic cover of the bandage warm against her jaw. His fingertips stroked her cheekbone, and she closed her eyes as she leaned into his caress. "Not the right time," he whispered at last.

Lorelai shook her head. "We've wasted a lot of time."

"I'm married," he said in a dull, flat voice.

Lorelai jerked as if the palm against her cheek had struck her. Stumbling back a step, she gaped at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Yeah, uh, you are," she muttered as she bowed her head, tugging ineffectually at the seams of her dress.

"I wish I wasn't."

"And I'm not your wife," she continued as if he hadn't spoken. "Friend, customer, but not wife."

"Lorelai…."

She tried to turn away, but he caught her arm, holding her there as she averted her face.

His fingers bit into her bicep, and the muscle in his jaw jumped. "I wish I wasn't," he repeated through clenched teeth.

"But you are," she concluded. Looking down at the long fingers curled around her arm, she scowled. "Why does Journey freak you out?"

"What?"

"Journey. They said you told them Journey freaks you out."

"Who said?"

"Liz and her friends."

"You talked to Liz again?"

"I can talk to anyone I want!"

"Not about me, you can't."

"Well, she was wrong anyway."

"Wrong about what?"

"About this, about us, about these!" Lorelai jerked her arm from his grasp and began removing the earrings he had given her.

"Lorelai, don't…."

"And I was wrong. God, why am I such an idiot?"

"You aren't an idiot."

"I always do this, I always screw things up," she muttered, clutching the earrings in her hand.

"You haven't screwed anything up."

"I've screwed everything up!" she hissed. Tossing the tangle of wire and beads at his chest, she spun on her heel and started for the door.

Luke's hands flew to his chest, trapping the earrings against his flannel before they could tumble to the floor. His head jerked up in time to see her snatch her coat from the counter. "I stopped believing," he blurted as she reached for the door. She gave the handle a vicious yank and the bells rang out. "They told me not to, but I did, and look at where it got me."

Lorelai slowly turned. "What?"

"I stopped believing. I stopped hoping this would ever happen," he said, gesturing between them.

Lorelai stared at him, incredulous. "What are you talking about?"

"Journey," he answered with a shrug.

"Journey?"

Luke slipped the tangled earrings into the pocket of his jeans as circled the end of the counter, and then came to a stop in front of her, planting his feet wide as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I hated that song when it came out. I still hate it."

"Because you stopped believing?"

"Because you don't always get what you want."

"Can't. It's you _can't_ always get what you want," she corrected, closing the door gently behind her.

"That's not Journey."

"Thank God you know that," she confirmed with a nod. "Why were you talking to them about Journey, anyway?"

"They asked me to go to some Styx/REO Speedwagon/Journey concert with them."

"Who did?"

"Crazy Carrie and her cronies," he said with a dismissive wave.

"Styx/REO Speedwagon/Journey? That's quite the lineup," she smirked.

"I liked Styx."

"Not REO?"

Taking a cautious step forward, he shrugged. "REO had a couple of good songs."

Lorelai cocked her head. "Really? Which ones?"

Luke frowned. "Uh, I don't remember."

Crossing her arms under her coat, she mirrored his stance. "Ridin' the Storm Out?"

"That's one."

Lorelai moved closer to him, her eyes locked on his as the wool of her coat brushed against his folded arms. "You gonna Take It on the Run, baby? Roll With the Changes?"

"Our timing is all off."

Lorelai pressed her lips together as she turned away. "I think it's time for me to fly," she said with a wry smile.

Luke nodded his understanding. "You want me to walk with you?"

She favored him with a ghost of a smile. "I have my car."

"Oh." While she unfolded her coat, he cast about for something to say. "I'll, uh, I'll come by tomorrow to finish fixing the window."

Lorelai paused, her coat bunched at her shoulders as she tried to shrug into it. "Oh, the window."

Luke frowned, looking down at the bandage on his hand and then out at the revelers in the square. "It's got to be freezing in your house."

Settling her coat on her shoulders, she flipped her hair out from under the collar. "I'll be fine."

Shaking his head, he held up one hand to stop her. "I've got some plywood out back. I'll just come over and board it up."

"Luke, no," she said as he hurried through the diner.

"I should have finished it this afternoon," he answered, disappearing through the curtain.

Lorelai pulled her coat closed, hugging it to her as she heard the heavy back door screech on its hinges. Taking a few hesitant steps toward the curtain she called, "Luke, really, it's okay."

Her plea was met with the sound of trash cans crashing and a muffled curse. "Luke, it's fine!" Pushing the curtain aside, she shivered as the icy wind blew through the open door. "Seriously, I'll just pile on another quilt."

"I'm sorry," he panted, unearthing a weathered sheet of wood with a jagged edge and mottled by multiple nail holes. "I meant to finish up earlier tonight, but the diner got busy, and then that guy with the Etch-a-Sketch was bugging me," he explained as he dragged the piece of plywood into the back hall.

Lorelai held up both hands to stop him. "Luke, it's fine, you don't have to fix the window tonight."

He drew up short. "I'm doing it again."

"What?"

"Fixing things. Being a pain in the ass."

"A pain in the … no you aren't."

"Just like Jess said. I'm interfering. You don't want my help, you didn't ask for my help."

"I _did_ ask for your help," she gently reminded him.

"What am I doing? I'm no better than anyone else. I'm not the reliable guy, I'm the guy who kisses his friend and completely forgets he's married. Hell, I'm the idiot who goes off on a cruise, marries a woman he doesn't even love, and then is too screwed up to get a damn divorce!"

Lorelai reached out, grasping his flannel-clad arm. "Luke, please."

He turned to look at her, his eyes searching hers as the plywood slipped through his hands, landing atop his scarred work boots unnoticed. "I can't fight this feeling anymore," he said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Don't go."

"Why?"

"I just … I don't want you to go."

"I shouldn't stay," she said with a sad smile.

Luke shook his head again. "Doesn't matter if you're here or not, I'm gonna keep on lovin' you. I can't fight that anymore."

Lorelai blinked. "Are we talking about REO Speedwagon again?"

"I don't think so."

A frigid gust of wind whipped through the open door, lifting the hem of her coat and sent the ends of her hair swirling around her cheeks. Lorelai tried to push them back, but Luke gently brushed her hand away. He captured a wayward lock, stroking it between his thumb and forefinger.

"She loves to laugh, she loves to sing, she loves everything," he said in a soft, throaty voice, his eyes locked on hers.

"That's Journey," she pointed out breathlessly.

Luke shook his head, his lips quirking at the corners. "I couldn't care less."

Lorelai reached up, her thumb tracing his cool lower lip. "The girl can't help it," she murmured as she leaned in to kiss him sweetly.

Luke leaned into her kiss, silently asking for more, and Lorelai acquiesced. As his arms wound around her once more, the sheet of plywood tipped forward, and then was trapped between their bodies.

She broke the kiss with a laugh, and Luke grappled with the heavy wood, grunting as he heaved it through the open door and into the alleyway. Throwing his shoulder against the battered steel, he pushed the door closed and turned the locks. Breathless, the color rose high in his cheeks as he leaned against it.

"What about the guy?" he rasped.

"What about your wife?"

"I told you how I feel about you."

Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest, her fingers clutching at her wool coat. "What do you want, a little lovin', touchin', squeezin'?"

"No!"

"It's true. All of it is true, Lorelai. I'm not hiding anything. Do you believe what I said?"

Cocking one eyebrow she asked, "Open arms?"

He took two steps, pacing the tiny hallway, and pressing his cap to his head with both hands. "When I think of Lorelei my head turns all around," he muttered under his breath.

"Whoa, switching to Styx. They spelled if wrong, you know," she sniffled.

"You know me. You know everything about me."

The power of his direct gaze was enough to cause her grip to loosen. She cocked her head. "What started out as friendship has grown stronger.…" Her hands fell to her sides, her fingers curling into her palms. "I only wish I had the strength to let it show."

"I can't fight it anymore. You want me to crawl on the floor? I will," he told her with a stubborn tilt of his chin.

"Would you come crashing through my door?"

"In a split second."

"You're right, REO is so much better than Journey," she said, reaching for his hand.

Her fingertips traced the outline of the bandage, and then she pressed her palm to his. "There's a gale force wind whipping through my living room." She glanced at the stairs to his apartment. "It's warm and cozy here." Lacing her fingers through his, she turned and pulled him toward the steps.

"It always seems that I'm following you," he observed as they topped the staircase.

"Girl. You have to add the girl on there, or you're off beat," she said as she stood aside, waiting for him to open the apartment door. "Am I going to have to sing 'Henry the Eighth' to get the Speedwagon out of your head?"

Luke chuckled and motioned for her to enter. Once inside, he paused near the table, watching as she slipped out of her coat. "Uh, you can have Jess' old bed. The sheets are clean."

Surprised, Lorelai turned to face him. "But I … I thought we were…." she stammered. "I thought you couldn't fight that feeling anymore."

"I'm not." Luke shrugged. "I told you."

Huffing with impatience, Lorelai crossed the room and came to a stop when they were toe to toe. "I am this far from going home, turning on the oven, and pulling a Plath," she said in a low, threatening tone.

"What?"

"Do you want me here or not?"

"Of course I do," he answered, bewildered.

"To sleep in your nephew's bed? That's what you want?"

Luke gaped at her for a moment, and then clamped his mouth shut, swallowing hard. He shook his head mutely, and Lorelai smiled.

"I didn't think so."

Grasping his wrists, she pulled his arms around her and waited until she felt his hands caressing her back. She pressed her cheek to his shoulder, slipping her arms under his and pulling herself closer to him. They held each other tight for a moment, swaying to some imaginary song. After a minute, Lorelai lifted her head to peer up at him, and Luke immediately raised one hand to cup her cheek, smoothing her hair back from her face.

It was possible he made the move, but just as likely she did. Lorelai only knew that, just like the kisses they shared downstairs, nothing else mattered from the moment his lips touched hers. Soft, teasing kisses pecked at the corners of her mouth. Firm, warm lips claimed hers with a sigh. He drew gently on her lower lip, causing her to moan as she opened, inviting him in. He hesitated for just a second, and she whispered, "Don't stop."

Luke kissed her ardently, his tongue teasing hers as her back bowed. She arched against him, knocking the cap from his head and relishing the feel of his hard body pressing against hers. He took the kiss deeper, and she slipped her hands under his flannel, tugging at his t-shirt until she found the warm, smooth skin of his back. His kisses gentled, circling her tongue with his as her fingers dug into the hard ridges of muscle bracketing his spine. She felt a tug between her shoulder blades, and then melted into the kiss as the zipper on her dress gave way.

Warm, strong fingers caressed her back, parting the fabric until it bunched at her shoulders. With a frustrated grunt, she pushed away, breaking the kiss only long enough to strip the sleeves from her arms and allow the dress to pool at her feet.

Luke stared at her, his lips parted and his breath coming in ragged puffs. She leaned into him, and he stepped back. Her startled gaze immediately sought his, but instead found only the plaid barrier of his flannel as he yanked both shirts over his head. The moment they hit the floor, she was back in his arms, her skin against his, and his mouth covering hers.

He unclasped her bra, but it just hung loose, trapped between their bodies as he walked her toward his bed. When her knees bumped the mattress, she fell back, shaking the bra loose and digging her thumbs into the waistband of her nylons. Luke helped her, pausing only for a moment to stare at the silky stockings dangling from his fingertips. He blinked as he turned back to her, and then his jaw dropped as she stretched out on his bed bare to the tips of her toes.

Hurriedly, he peeled his jeans down his legs, dragging his boxer briefs with them and stumbling as his boots hindered his progress. Lorelai laughed when he dropped to the side of the bed, grumbling under his breath as he bent to unlace them. She sat up, her hand smoothing over the curve of his back before she wrapped her arms around his torso.

Luke stilled as she pressed her cheek to his shoulder blade. "You okay?"

"Been a while since I've been kissed," she teased.

"Hang on." He toed off his boots, and stripped his socks as he pulled his feet free from the pool of denim and cotton beside the bed. "Okay," he said, breathless. Turning his head, he kissed her hungrily, his body twisting to meet hers as he pressed her back onto the mattress.

When his lips strayed to her jaw she murmured, "Just don't stop kissing me."

"Huh uh," he grunted, drawing on the soft skin just beneath her ear. "Never."

Luke was good to his word. He kissed the pounding pulse in her throat. He drew the tender flesh of her bare ear lobe into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue. Lorelai's hands moved restlessly over the ridged muscles of his shoulders and back, soaking up the heat of his skin. His mouth traveled down her throat, his tongue dipping into the hollow at its base. His lips closed over her collarbone, sliding along its curve to her shoulder. His hands traced the curve of her waist, filling with the swell of her hips, and then gliding over her stomach before cupping her breasts.

Lorelai moaned, pressing her hands to his shoulders and urging him lower. "Kiss me."

His mouth closed over the tip of one breast, drawing on her beaded nipple and then teasing it with his tongue. Her fingers sank into his hair, holding him to her breast as she arched into his mouth, begging him to take more. He suckled gently at first, his fingers kneading her soft flesh as she writhed beneath him. Pulling away, he sucked in a gasp, and then dove for her other breast. The moment he claimed it, all of his cautious restraint fled. He sucked greedily, pulling away only to tease the turgid tip with a breath of cool air before warming her again with his mouth.

Lorelai forced her eyes open, watching as he consumed her. Carried away by the sight of his head bowed in single-minded dedication, and the sensations his lips, teeth, and tongue stirred, she ground wantonly against his hip. Desire knotted in her belly, pooling between her legs as the hard length of his erection pushed against her thigh.

"Kiss me," she whispered. When Luke responded by pulling her nipple deeper into his mouth, she cried out, "Oh God, Luke, kiss me!"

Gripping his head, she pried him from her breast, pulling him up to her mouth. She kissed him heatedly, pouring every ounce of the desire he'd stoked in her into his eager mouth. Shoving at his shoulder, Lorelai urged him onto his back, scrambling on top of him as he shifted carefully, trying to keep them from rolling off of the narrow bed.

Luke gave a breathless laugh as she straddled his hips, rising up over him with her hands planted on his chest. His chest heaved with exertion and his eyes looked dark and hazy with unchecked lust. She smiled down at him. "Are you happy?"

His chuckle hitched in his throat. Clamping his mouth shut, and breathing heavily through his nose, Luke struggled for control. His eyes met hers, and that was all it took. Staring up at her intently, he nodded, forcing the only words he had through his constricted throat. "I said that I love you. I meant that I'd love you forever."

Lorelai blinked, and then her arms gave out from under her. She pressed her mouth to his, kissing him lingeringly, tasting the words on his lips. She broke the kiss, searching his expression for any shade of doubt, and finding none. His breath teased her lips, beckoning to her, but she shook her head slightly. Reaching up, she smoothed the furrows of his brow with her fingertips, staring deep into his eyes.

"Uh, you okay?" he asked in a whisper.

Lorelai's answering smile was slow to start, but soon bloomed, spreading across her cheeks and lighting her eyes. "I was just hoping you'd see what your love means to me."

Luke's eyes narrowed. "I tell you I love you and you're mocking me with Journey?"

"Not mocking at all. It's the truth," she insisted as she pushed away, tossing her hair back over her shoulder as she straddled him. Lorelai lowered herself to him, pressing the damp folds of her sex to the pulsing length of his erection.

Luke stared up at her, his eyelids drooping to half-mast as his hands found purchase on her hips. He rocked beneath her, biting his lip as she arched her back and matched his rhythm. After a few minutes of the exquisite torture, she rose on her knees, her fingers wrapping around his stiff shaft to guide him to her.

"Wait!" Luke rasped, starling her as he heaved himself from the mattress.

"Wait?"

"Hang on," he panted, curling one arm around her to hold her steady, and leaning over the edge of the bed. He snagged the loop of his jeans, and dragged them onto the bed, where he proceeded to rummage left-handed through the pockets. "We need to put something on."

Lorelai reared back slightly, and then blinked as realization dawned. "Oh, yeah. Right. Good idea," she said with a quick nod.

"Here," Luke murmured as he tried to extract his hand from the pocket.

"You want me to do it?"

"Yeah. I'm not very good at stuff like that."

Luke offered her his closed fist, and Lorelai opened her hand to take it. When she felt something light, and definitely not wrapped in foil, drop into her palm. She gasped in surprise.

"Earrings? You think we need earrings?" she asked as she held the tangled knot of beads and wire up to the lamplight. When Luke nodded mutely, she tipped her head and flashed a shy smile at him. "Okay."

Luke fell back to the mattress, his hands resting lightly on her thighs as he watched her untangle the earrings and slide the wires into her ears.

"Better?" she asked, brushing her hair back for him to see.

"You're all dressed up," he answered with a sly grin.

Lorelai laughed, peering down into his smug face as she wrapped her fingers around his cock and cooed, "Just for you."

His fingers tightened on her thighs, and he circled his hips. "So much better."

Smiling she guided him to her entrance, letting her head fall back as she sank onto him. The earrings he'd given her tickled the tender skin his mouth had caressed minutes before, the words he'd said echoed in her brain.

"Softly you whisper," she murmured, holding herself steady with her hands braced on his hips. "So sincere."

Lunging from the mattress, Luke wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair.

"Feeling your heart beat with mine." She ran her hands through his hair, cradling him to her. "I love you too, Luke."

He kissed her, and she willed her words flow from her lips to his. He kissed her, and kept on kissing her as their bodies began to move in time with one another. He kissed her, pulling her down on top of him until she stretched the length of his body. He kissed her, as they lay hopelessly entwined in one another, sharing each breath, tasting each moan, and savoring each cresting wave carrying them to completion.

He kissed her, soothing her ragged gasps as her muscles grew lax and loose, enveloping him in her pleasure. He kissed her, hoping each touch of his lips to hers would convey so much more than any words could ever say.

Lorelai pressed her face into the crook of his neck, peppering his stubbly beard with kamikaze kisses that made him chuckle drowsily. His fingers sifted through her hair, pausing occasionally to tease the opalescent little bead that glowed like her skin. Lorelai sighed, heedless of the weight of her body pressing him into the mattresses.

"Happy?" he asked cautiously.

Lorelai's lips curved against his throat, and she gave him a short, fast nod before dissolving into giggles.

"What?"

Lorelai just shook her head, trying to contain her mirth and failing. At last, she raised her head and peered up at him, convulsing with laughter.

"You're not makin' me feel real good right now," he grumbled.

"No, no!" she gasped. "I just … I just wanted to … I have to….' she sputtered. Pressing her weight onto his chest, she struggled to school her features as she framed his face in her hands and then gave him a slight bow. "Domo arigato, Mr. Luke-boto."


	53. Give a Little Somethin’ to Get a Little

**A/N: This is the last of my Support Stacie auction chapters. It belongs to my good friend and international agent, Boston4. I've enjoyed my time as an hono(u)rary Canuck, and thank all of my friends in the Great White North, and elsewhere, for their continued support and enthusiasm. **

**I'd already written a story for this episode which featured the obvious moment for such activity, but as Boston pointed out, it's a shame for such a great line to go to waste. I hope that you never think that reading my stories is getting you nothing. I'll apologize now for the torpedo reference. I couldn't resist. Smooches! Mags**

**Give a Little Somethin' to Get a Little Somethin'**

"Hey, Colonel Flagg! We're bugging out," Lorelai called into the kitchen.

Luke appeared, his broad shoulders filling the narrow doorway. "Colonel Flagg?"

"Well, you're a little crazy, but not nice enough to be Hawkeye, or Trapper, or even Sherman T. Potter."

"I got it," he assured her.

She huffed, sparing the now empty diner a glance as she planted her hands on her hips. "Well, we've ripped up the grassroots of good old American social activism, and restored your diner to its previous state of apathy. You happy?"

A smile twitched the corners of his lips. He tossed the towel he held onto the counter and closed the distance between them in two strides. The smile widened as he peered at her upturned face. "Yeah, I am."

A blush flared in her cheeks as she returned his smile, ducking her head as the color took hold. "Me too."

His fingertips grazed her arm, raising goosebumps in their wake as awareness crackled in the air around them. "You guys moving the front lines?"

Lorelai shook her head. "The General's son demanded a late lunch and a nap. We shall return," she warned him darkly.

"You need a pipe and some of those mirrored sunglasses for that line."

"I didn't have time to arrange the proper props. Where do I get one of those riding crop things Patton carried?"

"You don't need that," he answered quickly.

A slow, wicked smile curved her lips. "You never know."

"I know."

"You might like it."

"Stop."

"Oh, I can't stop now," she cooed.

"So, where are you headed now?" he asked, anxious to change the subject. "Gonna dig some trenches around the gazebo?"

Flashing him an affectionate smile, she stretched the aching muscles in her neck. "The army life's not for me. I'm thinking of joining the Navy instead."

"We're kind of landlocked."

Lorelai shrugged. "There's water in my tub. I thought, since you don't want me, I'd let Calgon take me away."

Luke's eyebrows lifted. "We still on for tonight?"

"Pick me up at seven," she confirmed, backing toward the door.

"Hey." He took another two steps and this time his hand closed around her arm, holding her there.

Lorelai looked up at him, startled by the abrupt move. "Is for horses. Another reason for the crop thingy," she murmured, turning her questioning gaze from his hand to his face.

Luke released her arm, reaching up to touch a tendril of dark, wavy hair curling on her shoulder. "I _do_ like your hair like this," he said at last, his voice warm and husky.

"I'm glad," she whispered. Her eyes closed as his mouth brushed hers, and she hummed appreciatively. "Gotta get used to that, huh?"

"Yeah." He backed away, his gaze locked on her. "Get used to it."

"Yessir," she answered, giving him a jaunty salute before reaching for the door handle.

Luke stood at the door, frankly admiring her wake as she navigated the clusters of tourists and townies milling along the sidewalk.

When she disappeared from sight, he turned to survey his now deserted diner. The tables Lorelai and Sookie had commandeered were back in their places, the napkin dispensers and shakers perfectly centered on their formica tops. For all intents and purposes, is diner had restored. As a matter of fact, nothing seemed out of place.

He turned back to the windows, and stared in the direction she had last been seen. Nothing had changed. She could still drive him crazy. She still had him wrapped tightly around her little finger. He'd noticed the hair. He always noticed. Everything.

He'd never been a big fan of change. It didn't come naturally to him. He wasn't inclined to adapt. But this…. Now it was Lorelai and him, him and Lorelai – at last. The biggest shock was to discover how much he liked it. This kind of change was entirely different. This was a change he could get behind. The kind of change where everything and nothing changes.

He did a quick about-face, striding through the diner moving each cluster of napkin dispensers and salt and pepper shakers to the edge of the tables. When he was through, he stood back. Resting his hands on his hips, he gauged the level of change, and decided with a nod that he could live with it.

Wandering back toward the kitchen he snatched the towel from the counter, winding it around his knuckles and capturing the end in his fist. Leaning against the doorjamb, he scanned the square – the one piece of Stars Hollow that resisted change more stridently than he did. People rushed, strolled and even meandered along the sidewalks, each on with a different agenda, most of them faces he saw every day.

But even these people changed. They grew older, their hair a little greyer, and their waists a little thicker. The Brown kid shot up six inches in the last two months, and that Brennan girl definitely wasn't a little girl anymore – not that he was looking. He just couldn't help but notice when she'd leaned over his counter in that halter top he was sure her parents hadn't approved. Davy Belleville had a tooth. Sookie had put some blondish stuff with her hair. Jackson, the most non-confrontational person he knew, was running against Taylor Doose for town Selectman. And he, Luke Danes, had permission to kiss Lorelai Gilmore whenever the mood struck him.

No, not all change was bad. Pushing away from the doorframe, he reached for the phone as the towel unraveled in his grasp. The stained cloth fell to the floor unheeded, and all desire to run his business was squashed as the mood struck him. Repeatedly.

Twenty minutes later, Caesar had tied on his apron two hours early, and Luke was tracking the trail Lorelai had cut across the square, a Styrofoam container filled with slices of pie clutched in his hand.

He climbed her porch steps and raised his curled fingers to knock on the frosted glass. The forward momentum had already taken hold when he changed his mind. His knuckles grazed the pane, and he snatched his hand away, glancing over his shoulder to see if anyone had witnessed his knock. He debated with himself for a moment, and then rapped his knuckles against the glass so softly that Lorelai probably wouldn't have heard the knock if she had been standing just on the other side. But, at least, he'd knocked, he reasoned.

He reached for the handle and slowly opened the door, slipping through the opening the moment it was wide enough. Clutching the handle, he eased his grip just enough to hear the snick of the latch as it caught behind him. He stood still, leaning forward just enough to swivel his head from the living room to the kitchen.

"Lorelai?" he whispered.

There was no response, but for the drone of a radio floating down the stairs. The dull thump of bass covered his footsteps. When he reached the base of the stairs, he placed the container of pie on the landing and bent to unlace his boots. Keeping his weight on his toes, he reclaimed the to-go box as he crept up the stairs in his stocking feet.

When he reached the top, he heard a ripple of water followed by a long sigh. A moment later, she sang out, "She chic but she's not shady, so-phis-ti-cated lady … and she makes me feel good…."

Luke bit his cheek to keep from laughing out loud. Rounding the corner, he poked his head around frame of the open bathroom door.

Tipping her head back against the tile wall, Lorelai sang out to the ceiling, "She's so fine!"

He lost it. A laugh burst from his lips, causing her to jump and sit straight up in the tub. "Oh my God!"

"Sorry, sorry. It's just me," he assured her as he rushed into the room.

"You scared the crap out of me! What are you doing here?"

"I, uh…."

Luke tried to formulate a response that would lend some legitimacy to the fact that he had essentially sneaked into her house and accosted her while bathing. He had a hard time coming up with one. The frothy bubbles cascading down her body were too distracting, the sight of her pink nipples peaking beneath the snowy white foam too enticing.

Dropping to his knees beside the tub, the styrofoam container squeaked in his hand. He blinked as she suddenly fell back, using her hands to gather the bubbles, covering her body with them like a blanket.

"Pie," he managed to grunt at last.

Lorelai's brows rose. "Excuse me?"

He shook his head to clear it. Forcing his gaze to her face, he held up the box. "I brought you pie."

Lorelai laughed. "Wow, for a minute there I thought you were being extremely dirty."

A rush of blood burned in his cheeks. "Lorelai."

"Well!" She gave him a speculative once-over. "I thought you were working until six."

"Well, uh…." His gaze drifted to the tiny bubbles that hissed and popped along the surface of the water. "Caesar came in early, and I, thought…."

Her eyebrows rose as she glanced down at her bubble covered body and back up at him. "You thought I might need pie?"

He jerked, his eyes locking on her face once more. "You said it was getting you nothing."

"What was?"

"Sleeping with me. You said that sleeping with me was getting you nothing," he repeated in a husky whisper.

"I meant in terms of special treatment."

Luke cleared his throat, fixing her with a meaningful stare. "I don't deliver pie to just anyone."

"No?" A hint of a smile played at her lips. "You mean I'm special?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

Her smile blossomed. "Well, you know, I don't let just any guy sneak into my house and bring me pie while I'm taking a bubble bath."

"We won't talk about the front door being unlocked," he grumbled.

Lorelai laughed. "No, let's not talk about that."

Luke nodded his agreement and placed the container of pie on the floor next to the tub. He pulled his cap from his head and tossed it aside before grabbing the collar of his shirt and giving it a yank.

"What are you doing?"

Luke yanked both the flannel and his t-shirt over his head, his answer muffled by the layers of fabric. "I'm comin' in."

"In here?" she asked, using her toes to push herself upright against the back of the tub.

"Yep." Luke discarded the shirts, and rolled to his feet, straightening to his full height as he reached for the buckle on his belt.

"Luke, it's a bubble bath. Have you ever even taken a bubble bath?"

"Sure."

"You have?" she asked, clearly shocked by his admission.

Luke opened the fly of his jeans, pushing them down over his boxer briefs. "I think I was about six, but yeah."

"Six?"

"Maybe younger. My mom got a box of that little kid bath stuff for me and Liz," he explained as he stepped out of the stained and splattered denim.

"Mister Bubble?"

"That's it," he murmured, stripping off his socks.

Lorelai blinked up at him. "I don't know if we'll fit."

"Oh, we'll fit," he assured her as he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his briefs. He hesitated for a moment, coking his head. "Okay?"

Pressing her lips together, Lorelai nodded mutely. He stripped the last of his clothing away, and stood poised at the edge of the tub, trying not to fidget under glare of her frank perusal.

"Move up a little," he said softly.

Lorelai sat up, the bubbles cascading down her arms and chest as she moved to the center of the tub. Her skin was flushed with the heat of the water, and a prickle of awareness tingled down his spine, taking up residence in his groin as he plunged one foot into the water and hissed between his teeth.

"Too hot?"

"I'm fine," he assured her.

Pulling his other foot in, he braced his hands between the wall and the rim of the tub and dropped to a crouch. He hissed again, and Lorelai's back shook as she silently giggled. His toes slid under her bottom, his knees nudged her back, and his hand squeaked against the porcelain tub as he eased back.

"Lift your arms," he murmured. When she did, he took the opportunity to slip his feet through the space created, cradling her between his legs. One arm snaked around her waist as she slowly lowered hers to rest on the sides of the tub. "Commere."

Lorelai slid back, water sloshing over the edge of the tub as his arms encircled her too. "So, you like bubble baths," she said as she relaxed against his chest.

Luke buried his nose in the jumble of waves and curls clipped on top of her head. "I like you, and if you're in the bubble bath…."

He let the thought trail off, lifting one bubble dripping hand to release the hair clip. A quick flick of his wrist and it clattered to the floor. Rich, luxuriant waves of dark hair tumbled to his chest. Long, wet fingers combed through her fragrant tresses. Her knees poked up out of the water, bracketed by his. Her body slithered against his, soft and warm, flushed and pliant.

His throat felt rough, as if he'd swallowed a truckload of gravel. Forcing the words past the rockslide, he whispered, "I'll wash your hair for you." Lorelai moaned softly as his lips grazed her shoulder. "Scrub your back." Tiny, tender kisses trailed up the side of her neck. "Don't you know I'd give you everything?" he whispered into her ear.

Lorelai shivered, and tried to turn her head toward him. He ducked, burying his nose in her hair and breathing deeply. "Luke."

"Shh. Relax," he whispered, his fingers trailing along her forearms soothingly. "Pie?" he asked, a smile coloring his tone.

"Here?"

"Yes."

Lorelai gasped softly. "You are a wicked man, aren't you?"

"Not too wicked. At least, I don't think so," Luke protested. He dropped his arm over the rim of the tub, groping blindly for the container. "I had peach and apple today. There was a slice of cherry leftover from yesterday, so I brought that too."

Setting the box on the lip of the tub, he released the tab with his thumb to reveal his offerings. "I'll bake a chocolate silk and a boysenberry for you tomorrow."

"For me?"

"Lorelai, I _only_ bake pies for you," he admitted gruffly.

Hearing her sharp intake of breath, he pulled her closer. He was hard. Hard as granite, but that was nothing new when Lorelai was around. What was entirely new was the feel of her slick, supple skin gliding against that hardness. He bit down on his lip hard, splitting the tender flesh. Wincing, he ran his tongue over the spot and asked, "Cherry?"

Lorelai nodded again, and he used his wet fingers to separate the pointed tip of the slice from the rest. He carried the morsel to her lips, waiting patiently for her to part them. Her tongue grazed his finger, and every muscle in his body tensed. Focusing all of his energy on keeping his hand from trembling, he dipped his sticky fingers back into the container.

"More, or another kind?" he asked in a rasping whisper.

"More."

He broke off another hunk, flaky crumbs of crust bursting delicate soap bubbles as they scattered over her breasts. Lorelai eagerly opened her mouth, wrapping her tongue around his index finger and laving the sweet cheery glaze from his skin.

"I can't believe you're doing this," she mumbled as she chewed.

"Bad?"

She shook her head emphatically, bumping his chin. "So good." When he reached for the box again, she placed her hand on his arm to stop him. A froth of bubbles slithered from her hand, onto the dark hair matted against his muscular forearm.

Luke stilled. Her fingers closed around his wrist, pulling his hand back to her. Her lips parted, sliding slowly over the tip of his middle finger, sucking on the sugary sweet glaze until his eyes glazed over too. He moved against her, sliding his stiff cock against the plush curve of her ass. She released his finger, moving rapidly to his ring finger and bathing it in the same manner.

The water undulated, carrying them both away on wave after wave of pulsing desire. She pressed a soft, wet kiss to his palm, and whispered, "I can't believe this is happening," as she claimed the pad of his thumb.

Luke groaned, his hips jerking as her teeth scraped against his calloused skin. "It is, though, right?"

"Yeah, it is," she answered, lacing her fingers through his. She lowered their joined hands, her palm caressing his knuckles as the water closed around them.

The movement created a hole in the foamy white shroud. Tilting his head, Luke watched as she pressed his hand to the curve of her stomach, guiding it over her slick skin.

"I get to kiss you whenever I want," she murmured.

Luke hummed low and deep in his throat. "I know."

Lorelai smiled, her cheek curving against his as she drew his hand to her breast, arching into his palm. "It's so weird, but it feels so right."

Luke squeezed her breast, trying to unravel his other arm from the tangle of soap-slicked limbs. Lorelai drew her hand away, taking the veil of bubbles with it. He groaned again as his fingers parted, revealing the pink, beaded tip. Her back pressed against his chest as he traced the outline of the taut flesh with one soapy finger. Her head fell back against his shoulder, and he raised his other arm, dripping clumps of bubbles that fell to her chest and skimmed over her skin.

He pushed her hair back, unveiling her ear and tucking damp tendrils behind it. "This special enough for you?"

Lorelai braced her hands on his thighs, kneading the thick muscle beneath his skin. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

Luke smiled, his lips tickling her ear. "One of the perks of not talking all the time. You never know what I'll do."

With that, he plunged his free hand into the water, spraying her with droplets as he cupped her breast possessively, his thumb brushing over her nipple. His fingers cut through the water, seeking the soft skin of her inner thigh like a well-aimed torpedo. He moved against her back, leaving no doubt about his mission as he coaxed her legs apart.

Lorelai moaned as his fingers fanned over her sex. Her toes pressing against the foot of the tub as her body bowed, nearly squeezing the dregs of air from his lungs. Parting her with those questing fingers, he teased the swollen bud of her clit, trying desperately to draw a breath as she writhed at his touch.

"Relax," he whispered hoarsely, pressing a sweet kiss to the lobe of her ear.

Lorelai shuddered with the effort, but slowly floated back to the bottom of the tub. "You're making it hard to relax," she panted.

"You make it hard all the time," he chuckled. His hand closed over her breast, holding her still as he drew one finger the length of her sex. "All the time, Lorelai."

He pressed that finger to her entrance, and matched her moan as it slid into her. "Soft," he murmured, pressing a tiny kiss to her neck. She tilted her head, and he took full advantage, peppering each word that sprang to mind with damp, soft kisses as he stroked her. "Wet. Hot. Soft. Sweet."

Lorelai moaned, rubbing against the heel of his hand with each thrust. He withdrew, circling her clit with his finger before plunging into her again. "Mine," he whispered.

She gasped, "Yes!" moving against his palm, minute mewls of approval filling the steamy air.

"I waited so long, Lorelai."

"Oh!"

"Wanted you for so long. Only you."

"Luke!"

He felt the rush of heat sufficing the cooling bathwater. Her muscles tensed, her walls closing around his finger, pulling him deeper and deeper. He closed his eyes, drowning in the pleasure of giving her pleasure.

"I'll bring you pie," he vowed.

She cried out as she crested, his name spilling from her lips, her pulse throbbing in both of his palms. He slowed, stroking her softly as her body grew pliant in his embrace. His lips trailed over her skin, his tongue soothing the heartbeat that jumped at her throat. She sank against him, and he drew his hands away, wrapping his arms around her, determined to keep her afloat. Pressing a kiss to her temple, he rested his scruffy cheek against her smooth one as she closed her eyes.

"Luke?" she whispered.

The moment he heard his name, his body tensed, his cock twitching against her back. "Mm hmm?"

"Can we have Jackson's victory party in the diner?" she asked in a rush.

He chuckled, and nuzzled her cheek, letting the thick bristles of his beard abrade her tender skin. "Well, I don't know," he began, his voice soft and slumberous. "Any good relationship involves a lot of give and take, right?"

Lorelai snickered. "Uh huh. Do I need to ask what you want?"

His hips moved, rubbing against her bottom suggestively. "What do you have to offer?"

Lorelai pressed her hands to the sides of the tub, leveraging herself from the water with a grunt. Water cascaded over the side as she turned to face him, the remnants of the bubbles clinging to her as gravity pulled them back to the tub. She looked down at him, her lips twitching as he brushed opalescent bubbles from the hair matted to his chest.

Extending one hand, her smile grew wide and inviting, and her voice warm and husky as she whispered, "I'll make it worth your while."


	54. FFace

**A/N: Hi! Remember me? I've had a crazy few weeks, and things don't seem to be getting any better. **_**Jewels12**_** told me I'd feel better if I wrote a little smut. I figured it was worth a shot. **_**Lulu1960**_** gave me this little gem of an idea a while back, so I thought I'd try it. If you like it, show a girl a little love, okay? I'm feeling a bit fragile. I missed you. I missed you all!**

**F… Face**

"I'm gonna talk to TJ, but I'm gonna be smart about it, I'm not gonna spook him. I'm gonna be like Michael Corleone dealing with that slimy brother-in-law of his," Luke asserts, glaring at the gaping hole in what was once my bedroom wall. "Get a couple of tickets to a ball game, invite him along. And we'll talk about the beer and the hot dogs we're gonna eat. And then I'm gonna get him to admit that he did this."

As shocked and dismayed as I was to discover my newly installed air-conditioning, I couldn't help but grin. First, he used a Corleone reference, then I saw the intensity in his eyes. He was just getting revved up. I love it when Luke is all revved up.

"And then when we get in the car on the way to the ball park, I'm gonna put a rope around his neck and pull it till he's …" He yanked on an imaginary rope and I bit my cheek to keep from laughing. "Dead!"

I couldn't help myself, I had to ask, I had to play along. The years training that went into baiting Luke into these kinds of rants could not be ignored. "Wait, Wait! You're in the backseat?"

"Yeah! That's the best for garroting. Yes!"

The fact that he used the word garroting garnered huge points in his favor. If I were Drew Carey, I would have given him a million on the spot. Still, I have a job to do. "No, he's gonna smell something fishy if you hop in the backseat especially if you're driving."

"No, he's not that bright. It'll work!" he insists.

This is why I love him. Stubborn, mule-headed, and opinionated. This has been my fodder for years. I couldn't let him down now. "Why are you even buying the tickets? You could just sneak up on him and garrote him on the street. Save you the money."

"I can still go to the game the other way!" he reasons. "I'll take my friend Ed. He hasn't been to a game in ages."

I smile. There's nothing like a hefty dose of Luke-logic to make you see everything a little more clearly. "Yeah, you're in no state to deal with TJ right now."

A sigh hissed from his lips and he ran out of steam. "Maybe not."

My smile turns into a grin. He is exactly what I needed at that moment. Well, Luke and about fifty sheets of plywood to cover up the gaping hole in my house. "And, we need to do something about the fact that my bedroom is on display for all to see."

"I know."

"So, let's figure out what we need to deal with the hole. First things first."

Luke nods and I slip my hand through his arm, leading him toward the house. "You're right. We need tarp."

"Tarp," I confirm, happy to take up the monosyllabic end of the conversation for once.

"And some plywood."

"Plywood."

"Staple gun."

"Staple gun," I echo, adding another item to the list.

"And rope.

I pause to shake my head. "You're not garroting TJ."

Luke concedes with another sigh. "Skip the rope."

"No rope."

He glances over at me, a sheepish smile adding to the flush of angry color that rides high in his cheeks. "I'm sorry."

I give his arm a reassuring squeeze. "It's not your fault."

"Eh...I'm dumb."

I want more words out of him, but not words like these. "No, you're not."

He flares up again the moment his boot hits the first step. "I'm gonna kill him!"

"No, you're not!"

Pulling him into the house, I nudge him toward the couch. "Stay put," I order, then whirl to unearth pen and paper from the cluttered desk. "We need to make a list."

"Tweezers," Luke mumbles, yanking the ball cap from his head then tossing it onto the coffee table. He sprawls on the couch cushion, letting his head fall back.

The dark fringe of his eyelashes spawns a spark of feminine envy as he blinks at the ceiling. "Tweezers?"

Luke nods again. "I'm gonna peel his skin off with tweezers, one layer at a time. Do you have any idea how much skin the human body has?"

I must have grunted or something, because he plunges ahead undeterred.

"Lots. It's gonna feel like miles by the time I'm done with him."

"Luke…."

"Tweezers and a big pot of boiling salt water…."

And he is off and running again. Clutching the Hello Kitty notepad I'd secured and a pen I'd swiped from the bank, I perch on the coffee table, my knees between his. Biting my tongue, I wait patiently while he extols the virtues of slow, painful torture. I know if I wait long enough, he'll eventually wind his way back to the fact that T.J. would be able to talk the entire time Luke was tormenting him, and this plan would be tossed out too.

Slightly disturbed by some of the more gory details, I tune out the specifics and concentrate on the low, rumbling, grumble of his voice. I love his voice. I don't get to hear it often enough.

It's not often that he strings ten or more together under any circumstances. Usually it only happens when he's on a tear, but sometimes … Sometimes he gives them to me when moved by a different type of passion. Those were the words I love and need. I crave them like I crave Pop Tarts – maybe more.

As much as I could appreciate a rambling rant, that isn't what I need at that particular moment. Yes, I need the sound of his voice, but I want the other words. The words that come out soft and husky. The ones that weave their way into my heart, mind, body, and soul.

Setting the pad and pen aside, I slide from the table onto his knees.

Luke jumps, startled by my sudden invasion, but recovers nicely. His arms encircle me, pulling me firmly into place as he sits up and takes notice. He presses his nose into my neck, his lips tickling my skin as he mumbles, "Too messy, too noisy."

"Yes," I whisper soothingly, running my fingers through his fine hair. He kisses my neck and whispers something about ripping T.J.'s arms off. "Still messy and noisy," I murmur, nipping at the pink tip of his ear with my lips.

Luke shifts, his hands finding purchase at my waist, his lips clinging to the hollow of my throat. He mutters something about shoving one arm down T.J.'s throat and sticking the other someplace where the UV/A and UV/B rays would never find it, and I giggle.

I know this isn't the sexy, seductive talk that most women crave. I know I must be an anomaly, but when his tongue races along my windpipe, I shiver with arousal and anticipation. This is going to be one of _those_ times. I am going to get my words.

"I should get back to work," he mumbles.

Okay, those are not the words I want and he should know that. Rocking back, I stare straight into his indigo eyes. "You have work to do here." He stares back at me, and without another word I know he knows I'm not talking about a patch job.

His hands sink into my hair, his fingers curling around the strands, tugging them lightly, urging me to take his mouth. I go willingly, happily, joyfully. Kissing Luke is always a treat. His lips are warm and soft, moist but not wet, tender but demanding. He parts his lips and I sink into him. All thoughts of huge gaping holes and burgers sizzling on the grill are lost the moment our tongues touch.

I hum low and deep in my throat, savoring the taste of peppermint attempting to mask the tuna salad he obviously had for lunch and the anger and frustration bubbling inside him. Angling my head, I take the kiss deeper, framing his face in my hands. I plant my knees on either side of his hips and grind my body into his, doing my best to meld us into one despite the cotton barriers between us.

My fingers find the buttons on his flannel. I free three before bunching the fabric in my fists and giving it a mighty tug. We break the kiss just long enough to dispose of his shirts then my jacket. Within seconds my pink camisole is swept over my head and tossed aside.

He lunges for my mouth again, kissing me hard and hot. His hands move restlessly over my torso, skimming along my ribs, tickling my stomach, and kneading my back. His tongue circles mine, and my bra gives way. This was exactly what I need. My man is in charge, and nothing would stand in his way now.

I arch away, letting my head fall back as he slides the straps of my bra down my arms. He tosses it toward the pile of clothing then cradles my back in his strong, capable hands.

"God, you're beautiful," he murmurs, lowering his head to kiss my breast.

Yes, the words. Here come the words. He could do this, he could fix me. He has all the tools he needs to patch the big, empty hole inside of me.

He draws on my nipple gently – too gently. Cupping the nape of his neck, I pull him closer, my back bowing as I press into his mouth, urging him to take more. We have been lovers for less than a year, but Luke knows exactly what I want. He has always known.

"I want you all the time," he whispers against my skin. His hand closes over my other breast, punctuating his statement with a possessive squeeze.

"Yes … Yes…."

Certain that we are on the same page I release my hold on him to fumble with the button on my jeans. Each delicious tug of his mouth sends heat rushing between my legs. Each dangerous tease of his teeth shoots shivers down my spine. I want to be bare. I need him to feel as raw and achy as I do.

"Tell me." My command comes out in a whisper, but I feel the powerful jolt of the impact it makes on him.

"Today you taste like raspberries," he growls, shifting to claim the other breast and raising his free hand to tease the wet tip of the one he'd abandoned. "Vanilla."

"It's new."

"It's incredible."

He draws my nipple into his mouth, suckling greedily on the beaded tip. I moan. I moan so loud that a hot blush rises in my cheeks, but I don't care. I need the words. I have to coax more words from him.

I unzip my jeans then place my hands on his bare stomach, enjoying the ripple of muscle that dances beneath his skin. "Do you think about me at work? While you're flipping and frying do you think about flipping me?"

Luke releases my nipple with a pop. "You know I do," he grumbled. He pushes at the waistband of my jeans, easing them over the curve of my hips, then grunting in frustration when the material refuses to budge.

Luckily, I'm not so stubborn. I slip from his lap, holding his gaze as I shove my jeans and panties down. I love the way his nostrils flare when he's excited. I bask in the heat of his gaze as I step out of my shoes and kick the last of my clothing aside. I barely have time to straighten before he's on me, pressing his face into my belly, tracing my navel with his tongue, doing all sorts of delightfully suggestive tricks with it while his breath washes over my skin hot and heavy.

"Tell me," I whisper, running my hands through his tousled hair.

"I think about kissing you, licking you.…" He nuzzles the curls between my legs and my knees almost give out. "God, I want to devour you."

"This is why you can't kill T.J.," I tell him, running my hands over the smooth planes of his back. "I need you. I need you…."

"Lorelai…." His voice is warm and hoarse, his blue eyes filled with a lethal mix of longing and love.

I push him back against the cushions and reach for the buckle on his belt. He covers my hand with his and whispers, "Upstairs."

I can't stop my smile. The effectiveness of my diversionary tactics is highly gratifying. The urgency etched into his face is incredibly arousing. I bend and kiss his lips lightly then murmur, "Hole."

Luke groans and squeezes his eyes shut, but his hand brushes mine aside to make short work of his belt, button and zipper.

Soon his ankles are ensnared in a tangle of denim stronger than those Chinese handcuff thingies my dentist used to hand out instead of candy. His cock stands at attention, begging for attention, twitching against the fine, soft hair that trails from his stomach.

Wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders, I duck my head to brush a kiss to the freckles that sprinkle his skin as I straddle him. He captures my hips, holding me steady for a moment before his hands slide to my ass, guiding me down onto him.

This isn't how it usually is. Most of the time, there's a whole lot of teasing, taunting, and wrestling around. We both like to do our best to drive each other crazy. We both want to be the one to make the other crack. But this … This is different.

I close my eyes, concentrating every ounce of my being on the feeling of his flesh parting mine, his body sliding into mine, his pulse beating deep inside of me.

"I want you, Lorelai. I always want you."

That's all it takes. My hips circle slowly, taking him infinitesimally deeper, and he groans his approval. Pushing back, I brace me hands on his shoulders, lock eyes with him, and begin to ride hard and fast.

Luke puffs like a steam engine when he's aroused. Beads of sweat pop up at his temples and trickle slowly down his cheeks. I love to make him sweat. If I'm as much work as he says I am, I want to see proof of it.

His face always contorts into a mask of agony and ecstasy. It's both the most hysterical and the most erotic thing I've ever seen. I want to see it every day.

His lips move soundlessly at first then the grunts and groans begin to meld together into a jumble of consonants and vowels that spill from his parted lips. Words like, hot and tight. Other words which some women would consider distasteful or derogatory to the female anatomy, but I find unspeakably sexy. They keep coming, words that wash over me, bathing us both in a pool of desire so deep I never want to touch bottom. Coarse words that thrill and provoke me, curse words that tell me he's stripped to the bone, tender words that make my heart sing, words he backs up with action, and actions that have no words to describe them.

My body surges; reaching for the climax that hovers tantalizingly out of reach. I cling to Luke, certain to the depths of my soul that he's the only one I want to take me there. I call his name in a plea and a prayer. He answers with the words I've been longing to hear, filling me with them as he fills me.

"I love you, Lorelai."

Sparks fly inside of me, sending me up like a tinder box.

"I'm gonna marry you," he growls, grinding out the words with fierce determination.

I collapse on top of him, clutching him to me, holding him as close as I can without crawling into his skin.

"I'm gonna love you forever," his whispers into my ear. I shiver, knowing that what he's said is the absolute truth.

"Hole," I whisper, burrowing into his neck to hide the tears that sting my eyes.

"I know," he answers softly.

His hands move over my back. They aren't restless anymore. All traces of agitation and arousal are long gone. All that's left is the calm after the storm. I let him stroke me and soothe me, because that's what I want in that moment.

"I know," he murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to my hair. "I'll fix it … I'm gonna fix it."

I snuggled into the warmth of his embrace, smothering my doubts in the thick blanket of his love. "Okay … Okay…."


	55. Naughty Nanny

**A/N: For Jewels and Iwanna … Hell, it's for all of us who love a good game of Baby Crepe!**

**Naughty Nanny**

Lorelai pressed a button and held the phone to her ear. "Hello? What? Luke? Calm down. I can't understand you when you're not ranting hysterically." She glanced at Rory then rolled her eyes. "Well, okay…. What are you . . . Okay! Okay, I'll be right there. Goodbye." She disconnected the call and turned to her daughter. "I gotta go."

Stunned by the abrupt turn of events, Rory asked, "Why? What's up?"

Lorelai grabbed her keys. "Luke's spazzing."

"Why?"

"I don't know." She hurried for the front door, calling over her shoulder, "Will you be here when I get back?"

"If you don't mind. Paris was getting out her potter's wheel as I was leaving," Rory answered with a grimace of distaste.

"Okay, I'll go pick up Chinese."

Rory smirked and lounged against the doorframe. "Or we can eat what's under the sink."

"Ah, the wit…."

"Get egg rolls," Rory shouted.

"All right, just watch out - old guys don't like 'em bossy!"

Lorelai pulled the door closed and hustled across the yard. She skirted Babette's forsythia bushes and made a beeline for the shortcut between old Mrs. Foster's yard and cranky Mr. Peterson's. Less than three minutes passed before she hurried up the walk to Sookie's front door.

Not content with the path he'd worn on the front walk, Luke turned when he heard her footsteps. "What took you so long? Why? You need to charter an airplane?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I came as quickly as I…." She trailed off as Luke's hand closed around her upper arm. "Ow!"

Luke eased his grip almost imperceptibly and hauled her toward the front door. "Get in here."

"What is going on?"

"Move quicker, please," he ground out between clenched teeth.

Lorelai stumbled into the foyer and looked around with a puzzled expression. "Is Sookie here?"

"They went to see a movie."

"Do they know you're here?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes, they do."

Lorelai's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "And they're okay with that?"

With a muffled grunt, Luke tightened his grip on her arm again and pulled her down the hall. "This way, please."

A sudden surge of panic seized her as she tripped across the threshold into the bedroom. As quickly as the surge came, it receded, leaving her awash in a sea of confused anticipation. She blinked at Luke and then dug in her heels. "Stop. What's going on? Why are we in the bedroom?"

"I offered to babysit," Luke said, impatience tingeing his voice.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she tried to process his statement. "I'm sorry, you did what?"

"I heard Sookie talking to Jackson about wanting to go out, and there was no one to watch the baby, so I offered to watch it for her."

Lorelai leveled her incredulous gaze on him. "It?"

"Him. Watch him for her," he huffed.

"And she let you?"

"Yes, she let me," he snapped. "So I came over, and the minute she left, it started to cry."

"It?" she repeated, glaring up at him.

"Him, he started to cry. He wouldn't stop. I did everything," Luke insisted. An edge of desperation sharpened his tone. "I did the jiggle and the bouncy and the airplane, and then I even picked it up."

"It?"

"Him! Dammit, him!" he cried, throwing his hands up in frustration and surrender. "I picked him up, but it didn't matter. He wouldn't stop crying. So finally I invented a game."

Shocked, Lorelai's eyes widened then narrowed to piercing blue slits. "What kind of game?"

"I called it baby crepe," he admitted gruffly.

Lorelai stared at him, her face blank with disbelief. "I don't think I know that one."

"Well, it was working pretty good." When she continued to stare at him, he rolled his eyes. "You get down here on the floor and then you roll him up in a blanket and then you pull it back and forth and back and forth," Luke explained, gesturing wildly as he demonstrated the concept. "He loved it. He didn't cry; he smiled. He giggled. He was having the time of his life. And then…."

She gasped as he trailed off. "Oh no."

"I pulled back the blanket a little too hard," Luke admitted.

"What?"

"And he rolled under the bed."

"What?"

"And he got stuck."

Horrified, Lorelai turned to look at the bed. "Oh! Oh my God!" She dropped to her knees and peered under the dust ruffle.

"I tried to get him out, but I couldn't get him to grab the string," Luke continued, a desperate plea cracking his voice as he dropped down beside her. "And then he fell asleep, and I worried if I woke him up, the screaming would start again."

Lorelai gaped at him. "I can't believe you rolled little Davey under the bed."

A puzzled crease appeared between Luke's eyebrows. "Davey?"

Her jaw dropped further. "Yes, Davey - Sookie's baby."

Luke reared back. "Is that his name? I've been calling him Truman."

"Why?"

"I thought that's what his name was."

This time it was Lorelai's turn to pull back. "Where'd you get Truman from?"

"I don't know, I heard it wrong, okay?" He turned his head to peer under the bed again. "Do you think he's gonna hold this against me?

She snorted. "What, the man that rolled him under the bed? No, I think you're good." Turning at Davey she sighed, "Oh, man, he really is sleeping. He looks so peaceful."

"See? I made him happy."

His assertion won him another snort. Lorelai pulled back and sat up, resting her bottom on her heels. "We need to lift this bed and get him up."

Luke nodded and began to unbutton his flannel. Lorelai stared, transfixed by the snug white t-shirt stretched across his muscular chest. The room began to close in around her. She turned away, the wide expanse of mattress clouding her vision. That strange mix of panic and anticipation swamped her.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking off my shirt," he answered, stripping the layer of brushed cotton down his arms.

Lorelai did her best to keep from staring at the bulging muscles of his biceps, but her best failed. "Uh, what part of 'lift the bed and get him out' translates to you taking off your shirt?"

"I need to be able to move," he said, tossing the shirt aside as he rose to his feet with surprising grace.

Panic won out. "No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm not lifting the bed with a naked you."

"I wasn't going to take off my pants," he snarled. "How do you want to do this?"

Lorelai blinked, a thousand answers to his loaded question flashing through her mind. Not one of those answers involved a baby crepe, lifting a bed, or Luke's pants.

"Lorelai?"

The familiar bewilderment in his tone cut through the strobe of non-baby-rescuing related scenes lighting up her brain. She shook her head to clear it then pointed to the footboard. "Uh, lift up here, and I'll get him out."

"Okay."

Lorelai found herself absorbed in the sight of Luke's long, strong fingers curling around the bottom of the bed frame.

He raised his eyebrows. "Are you ready?"

Jolted from her reverie, Lorelai gasped, "No!" and ducked under the bed.

The moment the frames lifted a few inches off the floor, her hands closed around Davey's sleeper-clad body and she snatched him from under the boards bracing the box springs. She clutched the baby to her chest, snuggling him close.

"Hey. Hey, Davey. I gotcha." She stroked one chubby cheek with the back of her finger. "You're snoozy, huh? Yeah."

"How is he?"

The husky timbre of Luke's voice combined with the cuddly, soft weight pressing against her breasts to send a jolt of pure primal desire careening through her body. "He's just fine. He's just fine," she murmured. Her gaze fixed on the worn, faded denim bagging at Luke's knees. She raised her head, her mesmerized stare traveling leisurely over the tiny frayed threads along the edge of his fly, glancing over the burnished buckle on his belt, and landing somewhere in the blank field of white stretched over his torso.

Lorelai wet her lips as she turned away, walking on her knees to the bassinet next to the bed. "There you go," he mumbled, depositing the sleepy baby amongst the tangle of blanket and plush toys. Her fingertips trailed over the snaps of Davey's sleeper as she pulled away. "Just kick back, wait 'til Mommy gets home."

Lorelai rolled to her feet. "Now please tell me what is going on here," she said quietly.

Luke's answer came too quickly. "Nothing."

"Why are you babysitting?" she demanded, finally daring a peek at him.

"I…."

"You hate babies," she persisted.

"No I don't … Not really."

"Jam hands, Bongo Bear … Lactation," she added with a malicious smile. "You do not babysit ever. And yet here you are making up baby games, and I want to know why."

"I don't hate babies!"

Lorelai's patience frayed. "Luke…."

"I don't!"

"Okay, you don't _hate_ babies, but you don't like them, either," she pointed out.

"Yes, I do," he retorted, the tips of his ears glowing red in the dim lamplight.

"You do, huh?" she asked snidely. "Ancient Chinese secret?"

"What?"

"Has all that Calgon water softener finally softened Luke Danes enough that he wants to babysit someone else's kid?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"What the hell are you up to?" she shot back.

"What? I can't do something nice for my friends?" he demanded, splaying his open palms in an over-the-top display of innocence.

"Ha!" she cried. "You might have had me up to there, but you just gave yourself away!"

"Gave what away?"

"And you give ... And you give … And you give yourself away," she sang under her breath. "I'll figure out what's going on here, with or without you, Bono," she threatened, her jaw tensing with resolve.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but that's nothing new," he grumbled.

"Fess up, Luke. You know I'm going to figure it out sooner or later."

"There's nothing to figure out!"

"You just decided that you would rather spend the evening playing Baby Crepe with a three-month-old than watching guys bounce a ball around?"

"Bounce a ball around?"

"Whatever it is you watch." Lorelai shook her head. "Baby Crepe? Where did you come up with that? Wouldn't Baby Burrito be better?"

"It's Sookie's kid," Luke argued.

"Ah, well, true," she conceded.

"Yeah. So … thanks. I think I've got it from here."

Lorelai laughed. "I don't know. What if you accidentally roll poor little Truman down the steps while playing Baby Wheel of Brie?"

"I've got it," he growled.

She crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her chin as she matched his stubborn stare. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what this is all about."

Defiance flashed in his eyes. A spark of anger lit the blur depths for a second, only to be extinguished the moment he blinked. Luke sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress squeaked in protest under his weight. His hands dangled between his knees as his broad shoulders slumped.

Lorelai stared at him, arrested by the sudden change in his demeanor and fascinated by the thin white cotton bunching around his stomach as he hunched in defeat. She took a step closer to him, balling her fingers into a fist to keep from smoothing the wrinkles from his t-shirt.

"Luke?"

"I like kids," he mumbled, turning away from her steady gaze.

A steely glint of defensiveness tempered the hint of ache she picked up in his voice. "I know you do."

His head swiveled, his dark, brooding gaze locking on her. "Do you?" he asked in a low rasp.

The anticipation was back with a vengeance. Her chest filled with it, trapping the air in her lungs, squeezing her until she was certain she'd squeak like the bedsprings. "You like kids," she repeated in a whisper.

"I do. I like kids. I mean, not all kids," he began cautiously, picking up speed as the words tumbled forth. "I stand by the jam hands thing, and as far as I'm concerned, the feeding in public thing is still…." He stopped short and drew a deep breath. "But I…."

"You like kids," she said, finishing the thought for him.

Lorelai took a step closer to him, the heat of his gaze warming her cheeks as her knees bumped his. His leg parted in a silent invitation for her to move closer. Without conscious thought, she accepted.

"I want _you_ to know I like kids," he told her, his voice soft and gruff as he stared up at her.

"Okay," Lorelai stretched two syllables into about six. Her gaze scoured his face, checking every line and crag for a hint on how she was supposed to take his statement.

Her fingertips brushed his denim-clad thigh. His knees closed, trapping her legs between his. Luke reached for her hand, holding it firmly in his warm, broad palm. "You like kids," he asserted. "I want you to know I like them too."

Her lips parted in shock. A ghost of a breath seeped from her parched mouth. The tip of her tongue darted out to provide desperately needed moisture. "Kids would be good," she murmured, barely aware the words had trickled from her lips.

Luke's fingers closed around her hand, giving hers a gentle squeeze. "Kids _would_ be good."

Lorelai's heart hammered in her chest, thumping against the too-tight confines of her ribcage. She blinked, trying to regain some foothold, afraid she'd tumble too fast, too recklessly down the slippery slope past the point of no return.

Of its own volition, her free hand rose to the crown of his head. His hat toppled to the bed. Her fingers threaded their way into his fine, soft hair.

"Luke?" Her voice sounded weak and wispy to her own ears. For a moment, she was afraid he'd pick up on the tremble in her hand. She wondered if he could feel her knees knocking together.

His knees clamped against the sides of hers, holding her in place. He cleared his throat, but said nothing. She knew he couldn't trust his voice any further than hers had carried. Ducking his head, he stared at their clasped hands.

Lorelai held her breath as he turned her hand over in his. Her fingers unfurled, opening like petals to expose the vulnerable skin of her palm to the radiant heat of his gaze. Luke bit his bottom lip then raised his eyes, shooting her a sidelong glance through lowered lashes and dipping his head.

His lips were firm and dry against the damp skin of her palm. His breath gushed hot and wet over her flesh, making her fingers twitch before they curled along the curve of his scruffy cheek.

"You like kids," she concluded.

Luke nodded, nuzzling her palm with his nose before daring to look up at her. His voice cracked ever-so slightly. "Kids would be good."

A strangled moan tangled in her throat. Luke's knees fell open, freeing her from his restraint. His eyes met hers, the force of his intent turning her knees to water as he planted his feet to rise. Her joints gave way. Lorelai dropped to her knees in front of him. She grunted on impact, her hands gripping the taut muscles of his thighs to steady herself as she tipped her head back.

His mouth was on hers, his lips warm, dry, and tentative when they first brushed hers. The sizzle of anticipation was back, heating to a hunger that gnawed at her stomach.

"Luke…." His name was neither a question nor a plea. The breathy whisper morphed into a statement that vibrated between them, setting them both aflame.

His lips claimed hers once again. There would be no more question of if or when, should or could. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, demanding entrance. Lorelai parted her lips, opening herself to him and the possibility that sparked each time he was near.

His tongue touched hers, coaxing her response, stroking her to a fevered pitch. A muffled mewl of frustration rumbled from her mouth to his. He caught it and returned the sentiment with a low groan of his own as she leaned into him.

His tongue circled hers, inciting her into a frenzy of need. She braced her hands against his sides, cupping his ribcage and bunching the delightfully rumpled cotton that tempted her earlier. She freed his t-shirt from the waistband of his jeans, her hands smoothing over the velvety skin of his muscled back, her fingertips teasing the deep furrow of his spine as she pushed the shirt higher.

A deep growl reverberated in his throat and Luke launched himself from the bed. They tumbled to the floor in a tangle of arms, legs, and grappling hands. He devoured her mouth, demanding more and more of her with each ravenous kiss. She gasped for air, unladylike grunts squeezing from her lungs as she wrestled his shirt to his shoulder blades.

Luke rolled onto his back, hauling her on top of him and rearing up to re-stake his claim on her mouth.

"Nuh," Lorelai mumbled. She pulled back and shoved his shirt up higher, her fingers abrading his flat nipples, the coarse hair on his chest tickling her palms.

Luke rolled up enough to allow her to tug the shirt over his shoulders. His head popped through the neckline and Lorelai fell back, tossing his shirt and her hair over her shoulder with a joyous laugh.

Luke fell back, wincing when his heated skin touched the cool wood floor. A grimace twisted his features when Lorelai straddled his hips and she hesitated, anxious to know if it played out in pleasure or pain.

His hands landed on her hips and he ground against her. Pleasure carried the day. The blunt tips of his long fingers pressed the denim of her jeans into her flesh adamantly, Lorelai was certain the denim would fuse to skin. Her muscles felt loose and languid, her bones melting as she writhed against him.

She stared into his midnight blue eyes and time stood still. Her body moved against his in an ancient dance so heady it made her head spin. Her shirt was gone. Her bra followed, and the snap on her jeans gave way. The rasp of a zipper shot through her veins and her hands moved over his bare arms, chest, and stomach in a flurry of restless need.

"Lorelai," he rasped.

The hoarse grate of his voice nearly drove her over the edge. Lorelai fell on him. His lips parted in welcome, his tongue circled hers, and his hands cradled her ass, pressing her onto the hard ridge of flesh straining against its rough denim prison.

"I've wanted you for so long."

Her whispered confession startled them both. Lorelai froze for a fraction of a second, her eyes widening as his grew slumberous. An intoxicating haze of awareness mixed with the naked lust in his gaze. She drank it in, giving in to the truth of her statement and the raw honesty of his unspoken response.

The waistband of her jeans scraped the curve of her hips. The satiny smoothness of her panties slithered against the sensitive skin inside her thighs as he pushed them down as far as he could reach.

Lorelai flung herself to her side, as anxious to be rid of the barriers between them as he seemed to be. She kicked off her shoes. One stuck the wall with a resounding 'thunk' then landed on the floor with a muffled thud.

She turned to look at Luke and caught him shucking his own jeans. A glimpse of red boxer-briefs made her smile. She pushed her jeans over her ankles and moved to help. Nodding to the white shirt she'd removed earlier, she grinned at him and placed a smacking kiss to his lips.

"You are the all-American boy," she teased.

"Huh?"

Lorelai tugged at the stretchy cotton of his boxer-briefs. "Red, white, and blue," she said as she stripped his jeans from his legs. Flattening her palms to his calves, she ran them up his legs. Her smile widened as the muscles in his thighs trembled. "Red blooded all-American boy," she breathed, eying his straining erection with avid interest.

"Commere," he commanded, tugging at her elbows as he fell back to the floor.

His skin caught on the wood planks as he grunted and shifted to tug a wadded piece of fabric from under his back.

Lorelai gave him a radiant smile as she took the rumpled baby blanket dangling from his fingertips. "Want me to wrap you up like a crepe?"

"Not in that," he growled, pulling her down on top of him.

Lorelai buried her face in his neck, purring as his stubble prickled her lips. Her breasts flattened against the hard planes of his chest, his hands traced the curve of her waist and spanned the swell of her hips. She nipped at his shoulder and he cupped her bottom in his big hands, a deep groan rumbling from deep inside of him as her damp flesh sizzled and slid against his twitching cock.

"You feel so good," he whispered thickly.

"You taste like french fries," she answered, kissing the smooth, tender skin behind his ear. He shivered and her lips curved into a smile. She circled her hips to further entice him. "Good enough to eat."

He buried his hands in her hair, holding her still as he plundered her mouth. His fingers trailed through her dark tresses, feathered along her spine, and flattened against the curve of her ass.

"Beautiful," he exhaled as she pushed up, her nails scoring his chest.

He cupped her breasts in his hands, teasing the pebbled tips of her nipples with the pads of his thumbs. A soft hiss seeped from between her teeth as his fingers closed around the soft mounds. She pressed into his hands, moaning as he kneaded her breasts. His caress grew more demanding each time her slick folds brushed against the swollen tip of his cock.

"Not so scared of them anymore?" she asked breathlessly.

Luke rose, meeting her halfway as she fell into him. He caught her with a heated kiss, his hands trapped by his own chest, his erection pulsing against the delicate curve of her belly.

"Lorelai, I…." Distracted, his hands fell to her hips and he hauled her tight against him.

"I want you," she whispered, rubbing wantonly against his stiff shaft.

"Ah geez," he groaned. Fisting his hand in her hair, he gave her a deep, drugging kiss that left them both even more breathless. When he fell back to the floor, he took her with him, his biceps tensing as he lifted her from his lap.

"What?" she asked, bewildered by the loss of contact. He urged her higher, ducking his head to nuzzle her stomach and rocking back. "Oh," she breathed. Another 'Oh' turned to a moan as he pulled her down to his eager mouth.

Lips, teeth, tongue tormented and teased her flesh. Lorelai could feel her pulse against his tongue. The slick heat of her arousal saturated his lips. He sucked ardently on her clit then thrust his tongue into her. She moaned again, this time trailing off into a high keening cry as he drew the sensitive bundle of nerves into his mouth. Lorelai surrendered to the waves of sensation he stirred inside of her. Throwing her head back, she rode him mindlessly, grinding herself against him in complete abandon as the pleasure coiled tighter and tighter deep inside of her.

Her pants grew more desperate with each caress of his tongue. Her breath hitched as the coil of need drew tighter, each nerve in her body humming with suppressed anticipation. Luke's fingers traced the crevice of her ass, the very tips teasing the forbidden flesh as they trailed lower. One finger parted her drenched folds and she bowed, her back arching as the tips of her breasts reached for the ceiling.

One tug of his lips on her swollen clit and one finger thrust into her hot, tight entrance was all it took. Lorelai tumbled over the edge, gasping his name and crying out her relief as each wave of sensation slammed through her.

Her cried were echoed by a much smaller set of lungs nearby, and both Lorelai and Luke froze. With a gasp, she pushed up, scrambling away from his questing tongue.

"Oh my God," she muttered, gaping down at Luke's stunned face.

The stubble covering his lip and chin glistened with her juices. His pink tongue darted out in a vain attempt to conceal the evidence.

She blinked at him, completely stupefied and at the same time, utterly aroused. Luke lay stretched out on the floor next to Sookie and Jackson's bed, his long, lean body a slab of hard, solid muscle as he stared back at her. Desire and longing danced like a blue flame in his eyes. Fear flattened his wide, sensuous mouth into a thin line. The tension was palpable, wafting from every pore in his body.

Lorelai groped blindly for a shirt or something to cover herself. Luke visibly stiffened when she clutched Davey's baby blanket to her bare breasts.

"I'm sorry."

His apology came out hushed and hoarse, but the ache in his voice rang loud and clear.

"No, Luke, no," she said in a rush. "Don't … Don't be sorry." Lorelai heard the plea in her own voice, but was helpless to stop it. "I just … I…." She trailed off, looking blankly at the square of duckie-printed flannel in her hand.

Davey's cries of distress grew more intense.

"Crap," she hissed, clutching the blanket in one hand as she clambered across the floor on her hands and knees. She snatched Luke's flannel from the bedpost and shoved one arm into the sleeve.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't pick him up like this," she hissed, waving the blanket at him like a crazed matador before transferring it to her other hand.

Lorelai pushed her other arm into the shirt and tucked the blanket under her elbow as she fastened two buttons that didn't quite line up. "It's okay, it's okay," she murmured as she knee-walked to the bassinet.

Lorelai scooped Davey up onto her shoulder and automatically turned to shield him from the naked man in the room. She peered over her shoulder, unwilling to sacrifice her own enjoyment of the floor show. A nervous laugh bubbled up from her throat as Luke extracted his red underwear from the tangle of clothes and hastily pushed his feet through the leg openings.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in a tone that told him she was nothing but wholeheartedly amused by their predicament.

"Uh huh."

"Shh, shh," she murmured, rubbing Davey's back in slow, gentle circles. Her eyes lit with pleasure as he shrugged back into the snug white t-shirt. "We didn't get to play Big Boy Crepe," she whispered, her gaze fastened on Luke.

He paused in the process of turning the leg of his jeans right-side out. Meeting her gaze, he swallowed hard. "I probably woulda ended up stuck under the bed or somethin'."

Lorelai quirked an eyebrow at him then glanced down as Davey's cries quieted to soft hiccups. She pressed a distracted kiss to his downy hair, and Davey hicced softly, rubbing his nose against the worn flannel she wore. Her lips curved into a smile. "Sorry, sweetie, Auntie Lorelai doesn't have the good stuff," she crooned, her fingers stroking the top of the baby's head lovingly.

She raised her head and met Luke's heated gaze. He wet his parted lips, his jeans dangling forgotten from his fingers. His adam's apple bobbed, forcing down a ripple of awareness that made his abs clench and the bulge in his briefs twitch.

"Like what you see?" she teased.

The breath rushed from his lungs in a whoosh, and Luke clamped his mouth shut, nodding mutely.

Davey's hiccups proved to be more upsetting than he originally believed. With one good lungful of air, he let loose with a bellow, startling Lorelai so badly she almost dropped him.

"Hold that thought?" she asked as she held Luke's gaze.

"Uh, sure," he managed to grunt at last.

"Warm up a bottle?"

His jeans fell to the floor and he held up one finger. "That, I can do," he answered confidently.

Lorelai chuckled to herself as his bright red bottom and blindingly white top disappeared into the hall.

Lorelai shifted Davey to her other arm and grasped the edge of the bassinet to leverage herself to her feet. "Sorry I molested your babysitter," she murmured into the damp, soft swirls of curls on his crown.

The baby blanket slithered to the floor as she rose. Lorelai sighed, but didn't bother to pick it up again. Padding toward the door she called, "Hey, I can't remember, does Al have Moo Shu pork on his menu?"

Luke shot her a disparaging glance as he warmed a bottle in a pan of water on the stove. "How would I know?"

"Why don't you just put that in the microwave?"

Luke snorted. "You can't put a baby bottle in the microwave, you get hot spots."

"Well, listen to you," she said with a laugh. "You know that Dr. Spock is not the same guy as Mr. Spock, right?"

When he grunted and rolled his eyes, Lorelai moved behind him and pressed a soft kiss to the thin cotton covering his shoulder blade, enjoying the way he tensed when her breath seeped through the material. "I warmed Rory's bottles in the microwave."

"Better in a pan of water," Luke mumbled.

"I think Al might have Moo Shu," she concluded, resting her cheek against his bicep.

Luke slipped arm out from under her and pulled her close. "I got a little carried away," he admitted gruffly.

"I was right there with you."

"Lorelai, I…."

"Do you like Chinese food?" she asked at the same time, cutting him off. Luke clamped his mouth shut and nodded silently. Lorelai hit him with a dazzling smile. "I'm supposed to pick up Chinese for dinner. I figured I'd get Moo Shu, since I have a sudden craving for those little pancake thingies now."

"You do, huh?" he asked, and amused smile quirking his lips.

Davey whimpered again, rooting against her shoulder in vain. "How do you know about warming baby bottles?"

"I have a nephew," he reminded her.

"Who's all grown up."

"You remember how you warmed Rory's."

"Because I did it fifty times a day."

"Not something you really forget." Luke plucked the bottle from the pan and shook a little milk onto the inside of his wrist. "Not quite," he concluded, dropping it back into the pan.

Davey sent up a wail of protest, and Lorelai patted his back, rocking from side to side to appease him. "Do you want to come over for Moo Shu when Sookie and Jackson get home?"

Luke blinked at her. "Is that some kind of code?"

A laugh burst from her lips, starling Davey from his plaintive cries. "Do you want it to be?"

"Dear God, yes."

Lorelai pressed into his side. "Okay, it can be code, but not tonight. Rory's home."

"Oh."

"Mm hmm." Peeking up at him, she asked, "Is that a no on the Chinese food? We could watch a movie. You never did finish _Hardbodies_."

"You want me to come over and hang out with you and Rory?" he asked.

Lorelai raised one eyebrow. "You said you like kids."

"Rory's not a kid."

"So, you don't like Rory?" she asked, unable to resist baiting a man in fire-engine red underpants.

"You know I like Rory," he retorted.

"You don't like me?"

Luke clenched his teeth, the muscle in his jaw jumping as he stared back at her. "No, I don't."

"Not just a little?" she stretched up to peck a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Maybe a little," he conceded.

"More than Chinese food, or less?"

"More." He grabbed the bottle from the pan and tested the temperature one more time. Satisfied, he wiped the water from the bottom and reached for Davey. "I'll feed him."

Lorelai relinquished the baby, marveling as Luke took him without fumbling or faltering. "Yeah, you need to earn your $2.50 per hour."

He smirked as Davey began to pull greedily on the nipple. "There you go," he murmured, smiling at the little boy. Lorelai tilted her head and eyed him speculatively as she backed away. Luke looked up. "What?"

A shy smile tipped her lips. "You're a natural."

His eyebrows rose. "Ya think?"

Lorelai glanced down at the misaligned buttons on the loose flannel shirt she wore. "I should get dressed, get that Chinese…."

Luke nodded. "Okay." When she turned back to the bedroom he said gruffly, "I love Moo Shu."

Lorelai glanced over her shoulder, a million-watt smile lighting her face. "I get a double order."

She dashed into the bedroom and began dressing. "It doesn't have to be _Hardbodies_," she called out to him.

"Thank you!"

Lorelai emerged from the bedroom minutes later scooping her hair from the neckline of her top then tugging it down over her jeans. She stopped in her tracks, drinking in the sight of Luke Danes standing in her best friend's kitchen holding an infant and wearing only his underwear.

"Risky business," she whispered.

"What?"

She hurried to him and leaned over Davey's prone body to plant a firm kiss to Luke's mouth. Her eyelashes fluttered as she licked her lips, tasting herself on his skin. "I love Moo Shu too," she whispered. A smug smile twitched her lips as she backed toward the kitchen door. "We're watching _Risky Business_."

"Okay," he answered in a puzzled tone. "Why?"

She opened the back door as the front door flew open wide.

"Davey! Mommy and Daddy are home!" Sookie cried as she bustled into the house.

Lorelai grinned at the wide-eyed panic on Luke's face as he glanced down, realizing he wasn't dressed. She cupped her hands around her mouth, calling, "Please, Lorelai, do what they say, just get off the babysitter," as she dashed through the door, letting it slam behind her.

Sookie slid to a stop inside the kitchen door and blinked at Luke in shock. Her gaze raking over Luke from head to toe, and a dimple winked in her cheek as her smile grew. "Wow. When someone tells you to make yourself at home, you really go all out, don't you?"


	56. Something Said

**A/N: Hello, my lovelies! I'm not going to write a long A/N here because I have attached a freakishly long note at the end of this chapter. I just wanted to say that today's smut is brought to you by the letter J for Jewels. I wish you could all know her. She's amazing! Positivity, baby! **

**Something She Said**

Lorelai shivered as she trudged across the front law. She heard a door open, and the shiver morphed into a shudder before she even looked up. _Oh God, no._

"Luke," she whispered, mortified.

"Are you okay?" He hurried across the porch and down the steps.

"Yeah, I –"

His forehead creased into furrows. The tiny lines made her fingers curl. She wanted to smooth them away. She itched to touch him.

"Sure? I got here, there was no answer."

She sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat as the river of denial she'd floated home on dried up. _Crap._

"You got my message."

"Yeah, I was home and I couldn't reach the phone, so I ran over here. I knocked, there was no answer, so I tried the loose window, but I fixed that last week, and then I realized I fixed all the stupid ways there were to get in your house, and I broke the back door lock and I ran inside and you weren't there," Luke rambled.

"Oh, my God."

"It's okay, I can fix it."

"I'm so sorry, Luke. I will never do this to you ever again. I am absolutely humiliated."

Humiliated didn't begin to describe it. Her cheeks burned like they were on fire. _Thank God it's dark._ She resisted the urge to cover her flaming cheeks with her hands. _Is there any aloe in the house? I think Rory left some in the bathroom from when she was sunburned last summer._

Lorelai shook her head and took a shaky breath. "I was hurting, and I knew if I called you you'd come. I never should have done that."

"It's okay."

His too easy acceptance of her weakness set her off. "No, it's not okay. It's not okay. I am not that girl. I am not the one who cries and falls apart and calls her ex," her breath hung in her throat for a second, "boyfriend to come and save her." She rooted around in her jacket pocket and pulled out the cassette tape she'd pried from his answering machine. "Thank you so much for coming, and for breaking my door. You're an amazing guy for doing that."

She fought back tears of anger and indignation. _Luke had already gone so far above and beyond anyone's expectations of a good boyfriend. He didn't deserve a nut-case and her ignorant family for a girlfriend. He deserved so much more. _Lorelai gave him the only thing she could by offering him his own tape like it was a reward for good behavior.

"What's that?"

"It's the tape from your answering machine."

"From my answering machine?"

"The last crazy thing you will ever have to endure from me, I promise."

She figured that was the least she could do_. I screwed up. I screwed up royally. I should have trusted him. I should have been honest with him. I should have told him how much I love him, and now, it's way too late. _

Straightening her spine, she dared to meet his gaze at last. "I just want you to know that I heard you when you said that you're out. I did. I'm going to respect that from now on."

Luke looked stunned by her declaration.

_Of course he's stunned. I've never made anything this easy for him before. How sad is it that dumping me seems to be a piece of cake? Christopher did it. Alex just never called again. Max built up an immunity and Jason...well, I hope he's doing well in Houston._

"Okay."

His acceptance sliced through her like a chainsaw.

_Get inside. Get inside. Do not fall apart. Do not be that girl._

She nodded once, praying she'd be able to hold it together long enough to make it into the house. "You should go. It's cold. I'll be fine."

Ducking her head, she hurried toward the porch. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him starting down the drive. The tears she held back blurred the door handle. She groped at it and connected on the second attempt. The latch gave way and the damn burst.

Luke's voice drifted across the lawn, stopping her in her tracks. "I hate that guy."

Keeping her back to him, she nodded her acknowledgement then took a futile swipe at the tears spilling over onto her cheeks.

"I hate his...existence."

He was coming closer, but the tears only came faster.

"I hate that you have this history with him. I hate that he knows you. I hate that he knows your stupid Aunt Totsy!" She heard him exhale a rush of air, then drag in another deep breath. "I hate that he's Rory's dad, but he's never done a damn thing for her. I hate that he's unreliable and an idiot and he was never there for either of you. I hate that I'm happy he's an unreliable idiot because, if he wasn't, I know you'd never be with a guy like me, you'd be with him."

Lorelai's fingers curled into the cuffs of her coat. Using the soft wool, she mopped her face as she turned to look at him. She sniffled softly and shook her head. "You're wrong."

"No, I'm not," he said, his tone bleak and dispassionate. "I'm not wrong, and we both know it."

She squinched her eyes shut, the truth of his words piercing her heart. "Maybe once, but not now," she answered in a rush.

"Your parents hate me. They'll always hate me, and they're right. I'm not good enough for you."

"Wrong! You're so wrong, Luke!" Clinging to the door handle, she took a deep, shuddering breath. "They're wrong. I'm the one who isn't good enough."

"You deserve more than this," he said, waving his arm toward the yard. "You're made for bigger and better things, Lorelai. I'm just...I'm just here...this town."

"Bigger isn't better, Luke. Sometimes more isn't enough to give a person what they need. I need this. I need you and this town and everything I have here. Don't you get it? For me, this _is_ more. It's more than I ever had."

Luke placed one foot on the bottom step. "What if that's still not enough? I don't want to be the guy who holds you back. I don't want to be the guy you have to hide things from."

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Luke!" She pressed her fist to her chest, trying to keep her heart bursting through. "I just...I don't want to hurt you, but I did. I didn't want you to worry, because there isn't anything to worry about. God, Luke, how can I make you understand?" she cried plaintively. "Christopher...he's nothing. He's less than nothing."

"He's not nothing."

"Yes! Yes, he is! I mean, yeah, he's Rory's dad, but that's all he is! That's all he'll ever be to me, don't you get that?"

"How the hell am I supposed to get that when I find out you've been sneaking off behind my back to see him?"

"I wasn't sneaking off!"

"Seemed like sneaking to me!"

"I just...ugh! Why are we even talking about this? Why bother? It's done! You dumped me the minute something didn't go the way you wanted it to, and I let you! You said it was too hard, so I made it easy for you. You should be thanking me."

"Thanking you?" Lorelai tried not to flinch as he stomped up the porch steps. She steeled her spine, refusing to recoil in the face of his advance. "For lying to me?"

"I didn't lie to you!"

Luke took a step closer, leaning in and glaring at her. "You said you were up late that night. The girl talk, was that the tequila talking? I might not be the brightest guy, Lorelai, but even I managed to puzzle put that one together."

"I didn't say that, Rory did!"

"And that makes it better? You have your kid lie to me for you?"

"I didn't have her do anything! Rory loves you, Luke. She'd never do anything to hurt you."

"Like stay out all night drinking tequila with her ex," he said snidely.

Lorelai was rapidly growing tired of being on the defensive. She launched a counter attack. "Like telling you something she knew would upset you, even though it shouldn't upset you if you trusted me?"

"I did trust you!"

"No, you didn't! God, Luke, I told you about the stupid lunch at the inn and you stewed and fretted about it for days!"

"I hate that guy!"

"I know you do! Rory knows it too!" She bumped into the door frame, suddenly desperate to have a little of that hated back distance again. "She was trying to protect you, protect us."

"I don't need her protecting me. I don't need you or anyone else protecting me!"

"Yeah, because you're a big, strong man and you can't get hurt, right? I was there, Luke. You took everything Christopher said to heart. I saw you get hurt, and it almost killed me."

"I shouldn't have been there. He shouldn't have been there. Don't you see, Lorelai? That's never gonna change."

"It isn't if you just give up! It won't change if you won't fight for what you want. God, Luke, you've been watching me fight them for years!"

"I don't wanna fight."

"No, you just want everything to be easy," she shot back.

He rubbed his forehead and shook his head tiredly. "No, I mean I don't want to fight with you."

"Well, lucky for you, you don't have to anymore." She pushed the door open wider and stepped inside, prepared to shut him out of her life once and for all. "Goodnight, Luke."

He stuck his foot in the door – just like on TV. Lorelai stared down at the splattered, scarred, and stained work boot, stupefied by its sudden appearance on her threshold. She pulled the door back and found herself staring straight into his deep blue eyes.

"I hate that guy."

Lorelai swallowed the softball-sized lump in her throat and stared back at him defiantly. "Yeah, well, I love you. So there. That's what he gets for being an idiot."

Luke blinked in surprise and his jaw dropped.

She couldn't stifle her satisfied smirk. _Ha! Got you there, didn't I? Pow! Biff! Bam! Right between the eyes, buck-o!_

"Whoa!" she grasped his bicep for balance, but found that she was still being propelled backward. The door slammed. A picture rattled when her back hit the wall. His mouth covered hers and a jolt of electricity shot through her veins.

She clung to the sleeves of his faded old army jacket, swaying slightly when he pulled away, but keeping her eyes screwed shut. "Fight over already?" she whispered.

Luke's fingers brushed over the messy knot of her hair. He tucked a wispy tendril behind her ear. His voice cracked when he whispered, "I hate that guy."

Lorelai opened her eyes to meet his gaze. "Don't worry about him. I love you enough for the both of us."

"Do you?"

Her lips twitched, a smile threatened. "Luke, when's the last time you saw me work so hard for anything?"

"You do," he exhaled.

Lorelai stared at him, waiting for some indication of whether her feelings would be reciprocated, or if she should just crawl into a hole and get it over with. When he didn't say anything, she made an attempt to wriggle from his arms. "Okay, so...thanks for coming to check on me –"

"I love you too," he said in rush. Lorelai gasped and he chuckled. "Sorry, thought you knew that already."

"I kinda did, but it's nice to hear," she admitted.

A blush rose in his cheeks. Luke ducked his head to kiss her again, but she pressed her fingers to his mouth to stop him. His lips caressed her fingertips, echoing the question in his eyes.

"I need you to understand something," she said quietly. Luke nodded and kissed her fingers again. Lorelai smiled. "I do have a history with Christopher." She felt him stiffen and hastened to go on. "We have Rory, but Rory's grown now, Luke. She can make her own relationship with him and I can choose mine, but I need you to understand...me and Chris...it was nothing like me and you. Not even close." She searched the depths of his eyes for his response. "Do you know what I'm saying?"

Luke's fingers circled her wrist. He drew her hand away from his mouth and nodded. "I know exactly what you mean," he said gruffly.

A tremulous smile curved her lips. "Good."

"I need you to tell me things." He stared at her intently. "You can't spring stuff on me. I don't like to be blindsided. I need time to ponder. You know that."

"I know."

"I don't like surprises."

"Gotcha." Lorelai nodded and pulled him closer. "Would it be too much of a surprise if I told you I want you to kiss me again?"

"I don't really need to think that over," he answered. His lips touched hers in the barest of kisses. Their relieved sighs melted into one another's as the kiss deepened.

When he pulled back, a fresh, new rush of tears burned behind her eyeballs. She blinked rapidly and blew out an exasperated breath. "Oh, come on, this is getting ridiculous now," she muttered.

"Huh?"

One tear escaped before she could extricate her hand, and the mortification was back with a vengeance. She caught another just as it spilled over.

"Oh crap," he whispered.

"No, I'm good," she insisted.

Lorelai gave him a gentle shove and he stumbled back a step. She took the opportunity to wriggle out from under his arm and hurried to the living room. She snatched one of the dozens of boxes of Kleenex Rory had placed around the room from the desk.

"Lorelai..."

She plucked a tissue from the box and forced a laugh as she scrubbed her cheeks. "Seriously, I'm fine. I don't know what this is. I think its allergies or something. I'll make an appointment to see the doctor tomorrow," she babbled.

Luke wrapped his arms around her waist, knocking the box from her hands when he pulled her back against him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he murmured, burying his face in her hair.

"No, _I'm_ sorry," she began.

"Don't cry, Lorelai," he murmured against her ear. "We'll figure it out."

She huffed then tried to lighten her tone. "You think I'm crying over you? It's allergies, Luke."

He nodded, his lips curving against the tender skin just below her ear. "I'm allergic to being away from you too."

Lorelai stopped resisting, leaning back to let him absorb her weight as another tear tangled on her eyelashes. "Good." She rested her hands on his forearms. Her fingers clenched the olive drab fabric of his coat, holding him there. "Then you should stay a while."

Luke freed one arm from her grasp and reached up. A moment later, his blue ball cap sailed onto the couch cushion. Lorelai grunted when he stepped back, but he was clearly just as reluctant to release his hold on her as she was to let him go. She closed her eyes when the rasp of his jacket zipper sliced through the room. Two more traitorous tears seeped free when the heavy jacket fell to the floor with a whoosh.

"See, you got this all backwards," she said quietly. "You're supposed to be Hubble, and I'm supposed to be Katie."

He placed his hands on her shoulders. His fingers gently kneaded her taut muscles. "I don't know who they are."

"Katie could never fit into Hubble's world. She tried, but she didn't really want to." Lorelai turned to face him. "I don't want you to try to fit into that world, Luke. It's not my world. My world is here with Rory, and this town, and you." She reached up to stroke his stubbly cheek. "I'm Katie, you're Hubble, but we're staying at the beach house with the boat and the books. We're not going Hollywood or Hartford. We're staying here - me and my gorgeous, goyish guy."

Luke nodded and brushed away the trail of one tear with the pad of his thumb. "I'll just pretend I know what that means, 'cause it sounds pretty good."

"Trust me, it will be."

He swallowed hard. She watched his Adam's apple bounce then met his gaze. "I trust you."

"Good." She took his hand in hers as she turned away, pulling him toward the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"It's late, we're both exhausted," she said, glancing back over her shoulder when he planted his feet. Standing on the bottom step, she faced him. "I thought you were allergic to being without me."

"I am."

She smiled, staring straight into his impossibly blue eyes. "I bet you're beautiful when you cry."

He snorted. "I don't cry."

Lorelai ignored his protest, reaching out to run her thumb over his cheekbone as he had stroked hers moment before. "I bet you don't get all snotty and splotchy." He closed his eyes, leaning into her caress. Her thumb brushed over his long, thick lashes. "Your eyelashes would be all dark and spiky. I bet your eyes get so bright. Almost makes me want to make you cry."

"Please don't," he mumbled.

"I won't." She ran her finger along his jaw and tipped his chin up a bit for a kiss. "Come to bed."

Luke wet his lips and nodded silently.

Wordlessly, they walked into her room and moved to their usual sides of the bed. They undressed in silence warmed by the golden glow of the lamp. Lorelai didn't bother to slip into pajamas, and Luke followed her lead. They slid between the sheets and met in the middle of the bed.

"God, I missed you," he whispered.

"Longest two days of my life."

He kissed her, relaying his wholehearted agreement in the way he molded his body to hers. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms, legs, and tongue securely around him – knowing there was no way she'd let him go again.

"I made it easy for you once," she whispered, arching her neck as he kissed his way down her throat. "I'll never let you go easy again."

Luke chuckled, nuzzling the hollow at the base of her throat. "I consider myself warned."

She smoothed her hands over his shoulders, humming low in her throat as she mapped the familiar dips and planes of his muscles.

His callused hands floated over her skin, tracing her curves and gently sculpting her with a reverence that made her throat ache. Those treacherous tears threatened again, but Luke chased them away, drawing on her neck so ardently he was sure to leave a mark. Lorelai didn't care. She moaned, bowing against him, urging him to take more.

Gentle hands continued to stroke and coax until her body thrummed with awareness. His lips, teeth, and tongue plundered, laying claim to every bit of her he could taste. She raked her hands through his hair then smoothed the wild tufts of brown waves with her palms and whispered his name.

They moved together, bodies gliding against one another, giving and taking in equal measure. Kisses and caresses tumbled together in wave after wave of sensation. The hair on his legs rasped against her smooth thighs. She arched off the bed, pressing her breast to his mouth as he ardently suckled her nipple. She stroked the length of his cock and smiled when his eyes rolled back with pleasure. He glanced up and chuckled when she moaned a little too loud, brushing a soft kiss to the inside of her thigh before returning to his quest.

When she whispered, "Now," he didn't linger or protest.

Luke sank into her, groaning his approval when she wrapped her legs around his hips, her heels pressing into his ass to hold him where she most wanted him.

"I love you," she whispered into his ear.

Luke answered with a strangled moan that faded into a soft, "Shh."

"Nuh huh. Not gonna 'shh'," she answered.

She traced the ridges of muscle bracketing his spine with her fingertips, letting them tangle in the soft curls at the nape of his neck as he began to move. He filled her with long, sure strokes, moving against her in a way that always drove her wild.

"Have to say something...Need you to know."

"I know," he assured her, capturing her lips with his.

Lorelai's breath came in short, sharp pants. "Never." She moaned when he shifted, rising above her and increasing tempo. "Never. Ever."

"Lorelai," he rasped.

"Oh God," she moaned. "Never. You. Just you." A deep, guttural groan tore from his throat. Lorelai reared up, pressing her lips to his throat to feel its rumble. "Mine," she cried when the surge of her climax overtook her. "Love...you...only you," she panted, falling back against the pillows and riding wave after wave of release as he filled her.

Luke collapsed on top of her, bracing his weight on his elbows as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. His body shuddered and shook with aftershocks. Lorelai smiled, her fingers dancing over his back, chasing the tremors.

"I haven't said that to anyone but Rory since I was fifteen years old," she murmured. Luke roused himself to rain tiny kisses over her hair, cheek, and temple. "I didn't know what it meant then. I didn't know until I held Rory."

"Lorelai," he croaked.

"If you go on thinking you're not good enough, then you must think I'm not good enough," she whispered. "We can do this, Luke. We just can't let anyone else tell us we can't."

Luke raised his head, peering into her eyes as he wet his lips. "We can do this," he said at last.

"We're good together, you and me."

One corner of his mouth lifted into a lopsided smirk. He glanced down at their still joined bodies. "Yeah, we are."

Lorelai jammed her heel into his butt then laughed. "I didn't mean that."

His smirk melted into a full-fledged smile. "I know, but that too."

"And the fighting."

He nodded. "We're really good at that."

"The flirting."

"Years of practice."

"Did one of us mention another f-word?"

"Not by name. I think it was implied," he replied in a dry tone.

Lorelai's smile widened. "Got anything you want to say to me?"

Luke pressed his lips together then slowly shook his head. "Nope, I don't think so."

This time she slapped his ass. "Luke!" She felt him stir and twitch inside of her as he convulsed with laughter.

He pressed into her and growled, "Do that again."

"No!"

"Come on."

"Say it," she ordered.

"Nope." He grinned down at her. "For once, I have the upper hand in this relationship, and I'm keeping it. You said it first...Katie."

Lorelai blinked up at him solemnly. "Katie and Hubble didn't end well," she whispered.

Luke sobered then kissed her gently. "I don't have to tell you what you already know, Lorelai."

He gathered her to him and rolled onto his side, taking her along for the ride. His fingers laced through her tangled hair and he stared deep into her eyes. "We'll be okay. We just have to stay here in our world. The boat and the books are here, right?"

"Right," she said, snuggling into his shoulder.

"But I do love you," he whispered. "You said it first, but with the crap you eat and the way you swill the coffee, I'll probably be saying it last. I love you, Lorelai Gilmore. I'll always love you."

**A/N part Deux:**

**I hope you enjoyed that little interlude as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's funny, all my life I've been a reader, but I was never a writer. I've had a book on my nightstand as long as I can remember, but I never attempted to write anything until I met Lorelai and Luke. Now it seems that all I've done for the past three years is write.**

**The Gilmore Girls was the first television show that I ever loved so passionately that I ached for more. I fell in love with Lorelai and Luke as they fell in love with each other, and I never wanted it to end. That's why I started writing. **

**Many of you have been with me from the start, quite a few more jumped in along the way, and every day I get messages and alerts that more people are finding these stories and falling in love right along with us. Your support and encouragement opened a whole new world for me, and I want you to know that I have a deep appreciation for you. I am grateful every day for all that you have given me.**

**I know that many of you miss the frequent updating that I used to be able to handle. A number of things have happened in my personal, professional, and writing lives this year that have greatly affected my productivity. I want you to know that I appreciate your patience with me.**

**About 10 months ago, prodded by some good friends and the well wishes of a number of faithful readers, I finally worked up the nerve to write my first original story. For the past eight months, I have been learning to navigate the waters of the publishing world in an attempt to bring **_**Contentment**_** to a bookstore near you. It's not there yet, but I've learned a lot in a very short time. **

**Along the way I wrote a second novel, **_**Paramour**_**, and last week I finished the first draft of my third story, **_**Seducing Steve**_** – a steamy novella featuring a redhead I swiped from Packaged Goods and plopped down in an entirely different kind of story. **

**All of this is my long-winded wind-up to announcing that this week I was contracted to publish my novel, **_**Paramour**_**! I have a publisher, and editor, and a tentative release date of May 30, 2011! I'm a little nervous, very excited, and a trifle freaked out by it all, but I wanted to share the news with you because I never would have done any of this if it weren't for all of you!**

_**Now, before you ask, no – I do not intend to stop writing Gilmore Girls stories. I still love this show, Lorelai and Luke, and the world of Stars Hollow. I plan to continue for as long as I can. That being said, I will have deadlines to meet, etc., so updates may be patchy (as they have been for the past few months), but they will be coming!**_

**Once again, I just want to say, 'Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!' for all that you have given me! Happy reading!**


	57. Not Simply a Date, its Fate

**Not Simply a Date, its Fate**

Her pink shawl slid from her shoulders, pooling at her feet. The cool of the frosted glass against her back made her flinch, but it proved to be no match for the heat rising in her cheeks. Lorelai pressed against the front door, glancing about the foyer, trying to latch on to some sense of the familiar.

"Movie guy?" she whispered to the coat rack. It didn't reply.

Pushing away with her hips, Lorelai staggered toward the kitchen. The cow creamer still stood guard at the center of the table. The fridge still made that weird hum-y noise. She yanked open the door. Yep. The shelves inside were still just as empty as they were before.

Before ... Before Luke said she looked beautiful. Before he guided her through the crowd, his hand warm against the small of her back. Before he pulled her closer and closer, and waltzed her right out of her mind.

Lorelai snatched a bottle of water from the fridge and let the door slam shut. She held the cool plastic to her hot cheek and closed her eyes, desperate to get a grip. The night was supposed to be relaxing. She was supposed to have fun, kick back, mock the Ren Faire folk, and forget about the in for one night...

_The inn! _

She'd forgotten all about the inn. She forgot the pillows and the zucchini, and her wayward horses. She forgot everything ... Everything but the admiration shining in Luke's blue eyes when he saw the flowers in her hair.

She twisted the cap from the bottle and pressed it to her lips, chugging like a fraternity boy after finals week. The icy liquid burned her parched throat, froze the breath in her lungs, and pooled in her stomach where it instantly bubbled to a simmer.

_Luke can waltz. Luke can waltz. Luke waltzed with me. Dancing guy. Movie guy. Guy who thinks I'm beautiful. _

The thoughts swirled in her head, sucking all her worries about banisters and salty gazpacho right down the drain.

_Mud-sink valve! I still need to talk to Tom about the mud-sink valve._

A little bit of worry about the inn made her feel infinitely better. It was easier than worrying about what was happening – or not happening – with Luke. Better to make herself crazy over miniscule little details that no one would notice than to make herself even crazier wondering if she'd imagined it all.

The desire in his eyes. The spicy scent of his aftershave. The shiver his slow smile sent up her spine. The rush of pleasure she felt each time she score one of those deep, rumbling chuckles. The crazy, comforting, disconcerting, calming, discombobulating tingle that raced through her when Luke's strong arms pulled her against the solid muscle of his chest.

It felt right. So right she had to be wrong. Lorelai knew she was never more wrong then where she was sure she was right.

The walk home scared her the most. They just fell into step. No hip jostling, no elbow bumping. His hand brushed hers one time. It could have been an accident, but somehow it didn't feel like one. It felt ... good. Wait. No. Good wasn't a good enough word. It felt ... tempting.

Lorelai tipped the bottle back again and poured the contents down her throat, hoping to cool the heat pulsing through her veins. She gasped, bracing one hand against the counter and tossing the empty bottle into the sink.

Her hair trailed over her shoulders. Pink ribbons tickled her bare arm, raising goose bumps on her skin. Despite the heat searing her from the inside, she felt cold. Cold enough to wish she was back in Luke's warm embrace again.

She glanced up, searching the darkness beyond the windowpane for an answer. Cool moonlight spilled across the lawn. The rainwater pooled in Babette's birdbath caught the ghostly light, bouncing it back at the inky sky.

The song. The words of the song she and Luke danced to wafted through her brain. Something about the moon never seeing her before...

"But I'm reflecting light," she sang under her breath.

She whirled away from the counter, the hem of her dress swirling around her bare thighs, the ribbons and her hair whipping her cheeks.

Lorelai bolted for the foyer. She slipped on the forgotten shawl, but used the doorframe to regain her balance before shooting off into the warm spring night. Her high heels sank into soft grass when she cut across her yard then Babette's. The mud-caked stilettos made her ankles wobble. She took them off the minute she hit the sidewalk.

Holding the shoes by the heel strap, she power-walked the length of the block. By the time she hopped the next curb she was moving at a slow jog. She hit the town square at an all-out run.

Darting across the dew-damp grass, she raised a hand in a half-wave when the juggling guy tried to flag her down. Ignoring the wedding stragglers still staggering around the green, she made a beeline for Luke's and the pale golden glow shining from the windows above the diner.

She drew to a stop at the base of the steps, pressing her hand to her stomach as she bent over and tried to catch her breath. "So not a runner," she wheezed. "Looks so easy in the movies."

The bells above the diner door jingled and her head popped up. He stared at her. She stared at him. Both of them had clearly mastered the deer-in-the-headlights look.

"Jess."

"Lorelai," he said with a curt nod.

"I forgot you were here."

Hiking his bag higher on his shoulder, he bumped his way through the door. "I was, now I'm gone." He grasped the handle and gave her a smirk. "You goin' in?"

"I just...I forgot to ask Luke something," she stammered, fidgeting under his knowing gaze.

"Well, he's up there." Jess left the door wide open and stared down the steps. "See ya."

"See ya, Jess," she answered as he sauntered past, making his way to the hulking brown beater parked at the curb.

Keeping a wary eye on Luke's nephew, Lorelai started up the steps. She'd just breached the threshold when she heard him call her name. Stifling a wince, she turned and met Jess' dark gaze.

He tossed his duffle bag into the back seat of the car and slammed the door, bracing his forearms on the roof of the car. "Throw the guy a bone. Tell him you liked the tie or something."

"What?"

Jess simply raised his hand in a dismissive wave and wrenched open the driver's door. Before she could recover, the engine ground to life. She watched his brake lights flash when he approached the red light. In a final act of rebellion, he blew through the signal, the engine roaring as he sped his way out of town.

"Ahoy! Fair maiden!"

Lorelai squinted into the darkness. A dark shadow lumbered in her direction. The circle of light provided by a well-placed streetlamp allowed her to make out the Best Man's features. Judging by the greeting, T.J.'s brother fancied himself a patio furniture salesman by day and a pirate by night.

She raised her hand to wave and caught sight of the eye patch he wore. "Oy with the ahoy," she muttered, slamming the diner door and quickly flipping the lock.

Her bare feet slapped a steady tattoo against the cool floor. The wooden stairs leading to Luke's apartment proved to be much warmer and disturbingly smooth. The ball of her foot slipped on the top step and she pitched forward, cartwheeling toward the wall.

The heels of her shoes clunked against plaster. Strands of hair embedded themselves in what was left of her lip gloss. She sucked air like a guppy.

"If a make it to morning without killing myself-"

Her grumbles were cut off by the creak of the apartment door. "Hey, what'd you forget aside from a haircut?" Luke called into the hall. He turned in her direction. "Jess?"

Lorelai spun, flattening herself against the smooth wood paneling and closing her eyes in hopes that she'd become invisible. No such luck. Luke stepped into the hall, the glow from the apartment lighting a path that led straight to her.

"Lorelai?"

"Jess let me in," she said in rush.

Luke nodded slowly, his brows beetled in confusion. "I thought you were... Hey."

In a desperate attempt to recover her composure, Lorelai swiped the strands of hair from her cheek. Unfortunately, she did it with her right hand. The hand holding a pair of mud-covered heels. A streak of cold, fresh mud took their place. She grimaced and dropped the shoes, scrubbing at her cheek.

"Hi," she grumbled.

Unable to bring herself to meet his eyes, she stared at his chest. Bad idea. He'd lost the tie – and she liked the tie a lot – and loosened the top two buttons on his crisp white shirt. Soft brown curls peeked over the top of a v-neck undershirt. Her mouth went dry. Lorelai adjust her gaze slightly north in hopes of finding the ability to swallow.

"What are you doing here?"

Crap. His Adam's apple bobbed. Dark, coarse whiskers dusted his throat, bristled his jaw, and shadowed his cheeks. The tiny bare patches just beneath his ears called to her.

Lorelai kicked her gaze up a few more inches and landed on his mouth. Smooth pale pink lips. White teeth. Wicked smile. Crinkling eyes. Deep chuckles. She shook her head hard and focused a bit higher, careful not to go too far.

"Lorelai? Are you okay?"

_Nose. Nothing sexy about a nose. Straight. Long. A little pointy. Nostrils flaring. This is better. _She nodded, trying to work up enough moisture to squeak a few words.

Luke closed the distance between them, reaching for her. His hand hovered millimeters from her bare skin, as if some invisible force field stopped him. "Did something happen?"

She nodded mutely and that hovering hand moved higher, brushing lightly over her hair, untangling a pink ribbon from her curls. He nudged the circlet of flowers into place. Concern etched into the lines around his eyes and bracketing his mouth.

"What happened?"

"Was this a date?" she blurted.

Luke's hand fell to his side. The concern in his eyes quickly faded to worry then wary. He started to speak, but stopped himself, clamping his jaw so hard the muscle twitched.

"Because ... It kind of felt like a date, with the dancing, and the laughing, and the walk home," she babbled. "You're not a movie guy, Luke. You're a lot of things, but you aren't a movie guy."

"I could be a movie guy," he retorted.

"Because I like movies," she said, adding an emphatic nod. "You could be a movie guy because I like movies. That's what you said."

He fell back a step and crossed his arms over his chest. Twelve extra inches of space between them didn't do any good. She could still see the sharp contrast between the dark stubble on his neck and the open collar of that white shirt. Her fingers itched to unbutton it some more. The scent of his aftershave still tickled her non-pointy nose. Her nostrils flared. Damn he smelled sexy. Heat radiated from him, surrounding him like an aura. How the hell did she miss that aura?

_Oh god. Ten minutes with his flaky sister and I'm seeing auras._

Frustration. Foot stamping, lip pouting frustration bubbled up from the simmering cauldron of ... whatever inside of her. "Was it a date?" she repeated, enunciating each word.

Luke pursed his lips. His eyes narrowed to slits. "That depends on what you mean by a date."

"I mean the invite, the dancing, and the walking me home!" She flung her arms wide. "Was it a damn date or not?"

"Do you want it to be a date?"

"I don't know!" she cried.

The foot stomping came into play. Luke glanced down at her bare feet, an amused smirk quirking his lips. When he raised his gaze, she glared at him. "Well?"

The smirk straightened out. He pressed his lips into a thin line and uncrossed his arms, clenching his hands at his sides. "I suppose someone could think it was ... date-ish."

"You asked me out," she hissed, her voice rising. "You asked me out! Twice!"

"And you said yes. Twice," he added with a slight nod.

"So it _was_ a date!" Accusation or affirmation, Lorelai wasn't quite sure which she was going for, but her words seemed to strike home for Luke.

He took another step back and a sudden chill danced down her arms. Lorelai rubbed the pebbled flesh briskly, but nothing she did could make up for the loss of his warmth.

"You can still get out of it," he said flatly.

Her head snapped back as if he'd punched her right in the kisser. _Kisser... _"I might not want to," she said, tipping her chin up at a stubborn angle.

"No?"

A blue flame of hope flared in the depths of his blue eyes. She stared into them. The same pull that tugged her closer as they danced yanked her away from the wall. She closed a little of the distance, her hands falling from her arms when she found she no longer needed the heat of friction. She needed something more.

"I'm still waiting to see how this date ends," she said, holding his gaze.

"Ends?"

Lorelai nodded slightly. She reached for him, steadying herself by grasping his arms. "What happens at the end of a date, Luke?"

His eyes widened for a second, then closed in a sweep of sooty lashes. His lips found hers. No nose bumping, no jockeying for position, and no awkward bob and weave. Just Luke's warm, firm lips pressing lightly against hers. He tasted as good as he smelled, looked, felt...

It ended too soon. Lorelai squeezed her eyes shut tighter, her fingers fisting the sleeves of his shirt, clinging to him.

"I can be a movie guy," he rasped.

Lorelai opened her eyes, trying to blink away the haze that clouding her mind, searching for the right words. Other words tumbled from her lips unbidden. "I don't want you to be anything but who you are."

Luke's chuckle rolled through her. "Liar."

She blinked again and a laugh burst from her. "Okay, I need the movies."

His arms wound around her. Warm palms pressed against her back, drawing her closer. "You got it."

Stretching onto her toes, Lorelai sealed the deal with a kiss. The do-over proved just as good as the first, minus the edge of angst and plus a lot of ... Mmm. He angled his head. Their noses bumped, but Lorelai didn't give a damn. His hands were on her face, his fingers sliding into her hair, his thumbs stroking her cheeks and jaw, teasing the lobes of her ears.

She moaned, parting her lips, taking him in, drinking him in with great, greedy gulps. Her back hit the wall. She shivered, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the cool wood paneling and everything to do with the hot, flesh and blood man pinning her there.

Coarse stubble scraped her cheeks and chin. She reveled in the abrasions. The buckle of his belt dug into her stomach. Lorelai urged him closer, wriggling against him as his tongue circled hers.

His hands were everywhere – tangling in her hair, trailing along her throat, teasing her bare shoulders, tussling with the silky fabric of her dress. They came to rest on her hips, pushing her into the wall as he pulled away. His forehead came to rest against hers. Hot, moist breath teased her swollen lips.

Lorelai kept her eyes shut, a cold lump dread rising in her throat. He'd come down to earth. Luke Danes would always return to reason, do what's right, what's expected. She wanted to hate him for it, and she would have if that unshakeable sense of right and wrong wasn't one of the reasons why she loved him.

"Will you come in?"

The breathless rasp of his voice shot through her. A deluge of white-hot need pooled low in her belly. "Come in?" she asked, daring to meet his gaze.

Dark desire burned in his midnight blue eyes, hot and raw. There was no doubt in her mind where the invitation would lead. There was no doubt that she wanted to go with him. A wedding, a movie, his bed ... Anywhere.

Lorelai bobbed her head, lifted his hand from her hip, and laced her fingers through his as she pushed away from the wall. Holding his hand firm against the small of her back, she led him into the lamp-lit apartment. He pushed the door closed behind them. The glass rattled in the old wood frame. Lorelai cast a glance over her shoulder and Luke planted his feet, pulling her to a stop. She turned and he raised their joined hands to his lips, keeping his eyes locked on her as he brushed a kiss to her knuckles.

Her smile felt shaky on her lips. Lorelai tried to get a better handle on it, forcing her cheekbones up, stretching her mouth out.

Luke released her hand and pressed his fingers to her lips. "Don't."

She let the smile go, automatically relaxing at his touch. She stared at him, stunned by the simple truth. The crazy, comforting, disconcerting, calming, discombobulating, utterly terrifying truth. "I, uh-"

"I bought the book."

"Book?"

"The book you saw Jess reading. It's mine. I bought it," he said. His lips thinned into a grim line as he lowered his hand. "I felt stupid ... The whole Nicole thing ... She was right. Jess was right. They were right," he said, waving his hand toward the square beyond the windows. "I felt so stupid because all I could see was you."

She pressed her fingertips to the pulse throbbing in his throat, letting them glide over beard roughened skin to the silky hollow beneath his bobbing Adam's apple. A shy smile curved her lips. She tugged lightly on the front of his shirt, urging him closer.

"You look ... beautiful," she whispered.

His arms banded around her, an embrace both tensile and tender. He held her tight, but she hung on tighter. His lips covered hers again and Lorelai was powerless to resist. She opened to him, cradling his head, holding fast - taking, giving, tasting, tempting.

Her dress slid against her skin. Luke bunched it in his palms, fisting the flowing fabric. His tongue waltzed with hers, moving as effortlessly as his feet on the dance floor, leading her closer and closer to the brink.

"Luke." She breathed his name, drawing it back in when he suckled the sensitive skin of her neck.

He lifted her effortlessly, carrying her toward his side of the apartment and stopping beside the twin bed she once mocked and at another time coveted. She smiled when her feet touched the floor. Her fingers tangled with the first fastened button on his shirt.

"Think we can fit?"

His voice came deep and husky. "I'll make room."

The button popped free. Her knuckles brushed the snug cotton undershirt. "For me?" she asked with a coy smile.

Luke had the grace to laugh at himself. "Only for you."

Lorelai loosened the next two buttons. "You're gonna be my guy?"

"If you want me to be."

She pulled the tail of the shirt from his suit pants and grinned. The last two buttons popped free. She pushed the shirt from his broad shoulders. "Are we starting this again?"

"Just making sure you know you have options."

Tugging at the hem of his undershirt, she looked up at him from under her lashes. "How about this? Is this optional?"

"Sure."

He raised his arms obligingly and she bunched the cotton, peeling it from his chest. She fell forward, pressing her lips to the base of his throat before it cleared his head. Luke laughed and shed the shirt, letting it fly across the room. His chuckles vibrated through his chest, tickling her lips and teasing a matching laugh from her.

She pushed off his chest and twirled out of reach. The rippling laughter poured from her lips. She spun again, pink ribbons dancing, her dress floating around her legs.

Luke stood straight and tall, amusement sparkling in his eyes though he shook his head slowly. "More than a little fruity."

"I feel ... light," she said with a helpless shrug. "Lighter than light."

He caught her, hauling her up against his chest. The heat of his body seeped through the thin fabric of her dress. Lorelai blinked in surprise when her body responded instantly. Her lips parted, her nipples tightened, heat gathered in her belly, flooding all points south.

She swallowed hard then peered up at him from under lowered lashes, her fingernails tripping and trailing through the crisp dark curls on his chest. "Well, hello."

"Just makin' sure you don't float away."

Lorelai smiled and ducked her head, pressing a soft kiss the muscle in his shoulder. "No chance of that."

Luke caught her head, cradling it gently in his big, strong hands. He stared into her eyes for just a moment then kissed her hard – hungry and hot – leaving her breathless, helpless, and aching. She fumbled with the tie knotted at her back. One tug loosened the bodice of her dress. Her fingers closed around the tab of the zipper under her arm and yanked it to her waist.

"Up," she gasped, raising her arms in surrender.

He grasped the slippery fabric and pulled it up. Cool air caressed her thighs and belly. She sucked in a breath as he whisked the dress over her head. A hot whoosh of breath washed over the bare skin of her breasts. Her nipples drew into taut, pebbled points.

"Lorelai," he croaked.

She shifted from foot to foot, her hands automatically fluttering to her breasts. "A bra doesn't really work with that dress," she mumbled, ducking her head.

The floral wreath pinned to her hair slipped down onto her forehead, pink ribbons looping around her ear. Luke instantly reached for it, centering the circlet atop her bowed head. Then his fingers clamped around her wrists, drawing her hands away from her breasts. Her fingers curled into fists as he lowered them to her sides. Sucking in a steadying breath, she tipped her chin up to meet his gaze.

His gaze swept from her dusty toes, meandered along her legs, lingered on the swatch of pale pink panties clinging to her hips, and devoured the puckered tips of her small breasts. He cleared his throat, but, like it did earlier that afternoon, sincerity rang true in his words. "You look ... beautiful."

Her smile faltered only for a moment. Holding his gaze, it grew stronger and more certain. "Flattery will get you everywhere, my friend."

Luke smiled, brushing her hair back from her cheek and reaching for a pin that dangled from a tousled curl. He carefully disentangled the bit of coated wire then used it to anchor the flowers in her hair. His fingers trailed the length of the silky pink ribbons, winding them around his knuckle.

He kissed her, soft and sweet, his lips clinging to hers, savoring every second. Lorelai fell into the kiss, the tips of her breasts rasped against his chest. The beat of his heart pulsed into her. His hands owned her, cupping, caressing, and stroking every bit of skin he could reach.

Long, strong fingers traced her spine and dipped into the elastic of her panties, teasing the curve of her bottom. She wriggled one hand between them, groping for the belt buckle that marked her stomach like a brand. He moved back, but his eager mouth latched on to any bit of her he could reach.

She laughed and shoved him away. Luke gulped air, blinking in surprise. Lorelai took advantage of his slight disadvantage, and quickly opened his belt. He groaned when her knuckles brushed the insistent bulge pressing against his pants. The worsted wool pooled at his ankles, held down by the weight of his belt.

The jumbled discombobulated feeling rushed back when he stooped to divest himself of his shoes, sock and pants. She fidgeted as she stared at the broad expanse of his back, the muscle playing beneath freckled skin, the hard ridges bracketing his spine. If he'd made some smooth move when he straightened, she might have balked. If he'd rushed her to the bed, she probably would have bolted. But he didn't.

Luke drew himself up to his full height, met her gaze, and offered her his hand palm-up. Lorelai stared at it for a moment – the blunt fingertips, the rough calluses that ridged his skin, the pale, vulnerable lines laid open to her. She touched her fingertips to the soft skin in the center, and his hand closed around hers, holding her fast.

"Okay?"

She nodded. "More than okay."

Luke gave her a soft, lingering kiss. It grew deeper, softer, slower – unfolding like a flower, blossoming into fireworks and shooting sparks that showered her skin. They sank to the bed. Their heads touched the single pillow. He pulled her closer. Their breaths mingled, his leg slipped between hers, his hands roamed her body – his touch at turns gentle, demanding, worshipful and irreverent.

He cupped her breasts, his fingers tweaking her nipples, his palms soothing the afflicted skin. Those bright white teeth scraped her skin. His soft lips chased them, coaxing, teasing and tempting until she writhed beneath him. She arched off the bed when his hot mouth closed around the aching tip of her breast. A cry escaped her lips when his teeth closed around the pebbled skin.

She plunged into his boxers, groping the taut muscle of his ass greedily. His fingers grazed her lacy panties and she moaned aloud. His hand closed over her mound and she bucked against the heel of his hand. Luke shifted onto his back, pulling her along with him.

Lorelai planted her hands on his chest and sat up, straddling his hips. Luke's eyelashes fluttered and his eyes closed. She rocked against him and his hands flew to her hips.

"Wait," he panted.

Her fingers curled into the waistband of his boxers. "No."

She shimmied the length of the narrow bed, stripping them down his legs. The muscles in his thighs trembled under her touch. His hard cock, twitched and jumped, begging for attention. Attention she was more than happy to give.

Lorelai wrapped her fingers around him, matching his groan with a moan of appreciation. Steel encased in velvet. Long, smooth, and hot, he pulsed in her hand. His lips parted. Wisps of breath whispered from his lungs. One of them carried the word, "Please."

His eyes were locked on her, heavy-lidded and dark, and Lorelai didn't hesitate. She slid of the bed, holding his gaze as she wriggled out of her panties. Luke's hands closed over her hips, warm and sure, holding her steady as she rose above him.

Her eyes slid shut as she sank down onto him. Luke reared off the bed and wrapped his arms around her. She stilled, holding him deep inside her.

Her eyes fluttered open. He smiled and fingered one silky pink ribbon. The end of the ribbon tickled her breast. His breath warmed her skin. Luke kissed her softly, drawing her bottom lip into his mouth.

A throaty chuckle ended the kiss. Lorelai drew back, searching his face for the source of his delight. His blue eyes danced. That white smile flashed and she returned it, basking in its light.

Wrapped around one another they began to move. Their breaths caught, his nose bumped her chin, a cramp seized her calf ... it didn't matter. It was a perfect dance. They were the perfect partners - moving in unison, matching each other, meeting one another halfway.

Beneath her, Luke pulsed with barely contained ardor. The need set her teeth on edge. Pleasure coiled deep inside of her. Together they built to a fever pitch, the tempo increasing, and the syncopated beats of their hearts carrying them away. She arched her back, reaching, stretching, trusting his arms to support her, knowing he wouldn't let go.

Her fingernails marked him as hers, tiny crescent moons imprinted in his skin. She tumbled and fell, shattering into a million pieces. Pieces Luke held sure and steady in his hands even as he followed her over the edge.

As they slowed, Lorelai framed his face in her hands. His hair stood up in tufts, mussed by her greedy fingers. She stroked his shadowy cheeks and caressed the curve of his jaw.

"You look beautiful," she whispered with quiet conviction.

He grunted and shook his head, blinking up at her. She nodded and he smirked. "Even without fruity flowers in my hair?"

"I'll handle the fruitiness." She glanced down at the sliver of space between them. The muscles in his back quivered with strain. His fingertips pressed into her back, clinging to his tenuous hold. "You've got your hands full."

Luke laughed and rolled back, dragging her down on top of him and hugging her tight. "You're right about that."

Lorelai smiled, batted the hair from her face, and rubbed her cheek against his. "Guess you better learn to juggle, huh?" she whispered into his ear.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Hey, have you entered my little 'Thank you' contest? I'll be drawing a winner of a goody-box from Mags at 10PM CST on December 1, 2010. See my profile page on BWR, , or the message on the BWR home page for details!**


	58. I'd Be A Rich Woman

**A/N: Is there a better way to spend a snowy Sunday than writing a little Slip? I didn't think so. I hope you like it too! Be sure to check the author's note at the end of this chapter for a special message to my Gilmore Girls loving friends! Special thanks to deepfriedcake for the episode suggestion, and to Jewels because she is Jewels!**

**I'd Be A Rich Woman **

**(If I had a nickel for every time I got these two nekkid...)**

He almost did it. That stupid song almost got to him. He stood there like a schmuck, letting a song sung by some ten-year-old and Kirk, of all people, get him all verklempt. What a putz. Thank God a thundering herd of four-foot-tall heretics dressed as Russian Jews saved him.

Luke spent the remainder of the performance lurking in the shadows of the set. Not that he needed to hide. Lorelai beat him to the punch. The minute the next scene started she ducked behind into the makeshift changing room and hadn't emerged since. Not that he noticed. It wasn't like he was staring at the old blankets strung on clothesline or anything. He was far too busy to catalog every swish of Mrs. Slutsky's faded blue sateen comforter.

It seemed like a dozen sunrises came and went since Tzeitel married Motel. A hundred sunsets cooled the air in the wings as Hodel ran off to Siberia with Perchik and Chava, poor Chava, was lost to her family all because she loved the wrong man.

The thought of Lorelai standing in the Gilmore's circular drive begging her parents to acknowledge their relationship was too much to bear. It would never happen. He'd never be good enough. Ever. A lump formed low in Luke's gut. His stomach soured. He stared at the cart he'd built for Kirk and the taste of curdled milk coated his useless tongue. He should have said something. He wanted to say something. He just couldn't. Even Yenta's persistent pestering wouldn't get him to open his mouth. If he did, it would all come spilling out.

Luke saw the anger, the longing, and the stubborn determination in her shining blue eyes. They had that much in common, no matter what anyone said.

He was angry. Angry about Christopher's arrogance. Angry about the Gilmore's sly disapproval. Angry at Lorelai for being... Lorelai. Of course she went running to Christopher when he called. Of course she wants her parents' approval. Of course she'd say it didn't matter. But it did matter. It mattered to him.

Luke shook his head and squatted beside the broken-down cart, pretending to tinker with the bent bolt in the wheel as dozens of stage-door mommies and daddies collected their tiny thespians. He gathered a few stray tools and dropped them into the box. The blankets twitched and Bradley emerged with two beaming women. Luke gave the boy a manly nod and was rewarded with a waggly-fingered wave.

Carrie shimmied past. "Jenny! Come out, Sweetie!" She paused, gnawing her bottom lip as she tugged on her top, exposing another inch of cleavage. Luke locked is gaze on the torque axle. "Luke? Have you seen Jenny?"

"I don't know what Jenny looks like." When Carrie rolled her eyes he shrugged. "I've never actually seen her."

"She's so odd. Always hiding..." Carrie turned in a slow circle, gracing a group of departing actors and their escorts a distracted wave. "Jenny, honey, Daddy's waiting for you!"

A low scratching shuffle came from under the cart. Luke rocked back on his heels then fell onto his butt as a tiny girl scrambled from under the yoke. He caught a flash of frizzy yellow hair peeking out from under a calico kerchief. A tiny pair of sneakers slapped the stage as Jenny sprinted past her mother and launched herself into the arms of the man standing at the foot of the stage steps.

"I'll be home in a while, Barry. I have to take care of some things here," Carrie cooed, shooting Luke a sidelong look.

"Oh, no!" Luke blurted. "Uh... You go ahead and go. I'll lock up," he offered in a rush.

"But Luke, it's my responsi-"

"No. No problem. You worked so hard," he said, nodding eagerly. "Go home."

"Luke'll lock up," Barry reassured his wife.

"But-"

"I hafta pee," Jenny announced, shuffling a little soft-shoe behind her father's legs.

Luke bowed his head, hiding his smirk as he sent up a quick prayer of thanks for weak bladders. "I've got this. Go ahead."

"You know where the stage lights are?" Carrie asked, edging toward the stage steps.

"I'll handle it." He eyed the dwindling crowd filing through the doors at the rear of the auditorium. "I'll just shut everything down and come back tomorrow to break down the sets."

"Thanks for your help, Luke." Carrie sent him a beaming smile. "You really know how to decorate a set."

He rolled his eyes and turned back to the cart, letting his hands dangle from his bent knees as he eyed the bent bolt. The last of the parents straggled from the auditorium. Luke heaved a sigh and turned to peer into his toolbox, looking for a bolt sturdy enough to put his twenty-first century milk cart back to rights.

Locating one that looked sufficient, Luke grabbed a set of pliers and a flat-head screwdriver. That song. That damn song wound its way through his brain. Luke set to work on the damaged bolt, humming softly under his breath. The tune soothed him as he worked the twisted steel free. He clamped down with the pliers as the words whispered through him, skimming along in his blood, coiling around his heart, and shrouding his doubts with their simplicity.

"Do you love me?" he whispered. The bolt gave way with a rasp, the momentum rolling him onto his back. He winced as the discarded screwdriver bit him in the butt. "Yeah, that's what I thought," he grumbled and yanked the errant tool out from under him.

Lorelai shook the wrinkles from Tzeitel's wedding dress and draped it over her arm, adding it to the pile of tiny costumes to be altered into flapper costumes for the spring production of _No, No, Nanette_. Golda's dress from the departure scene was slung over the clothesline. Trying to balance the pile on her arm, Lorelai gave it an impatient tug.

The slippery blue bedspread clipped to the line slid free from its moorings. An involuntary shudder shivered through her as the slithery sateen slid to the floor. Lorelai squeezed her eyes shut in a vain attempt to ward off the mental image of Mr. and Mrs. Slutsky slip-sliding the night away on the faded blue poly-blend.

A deep grunt of triumph chased the thought from her head entirely. Lorelai's eyes popped open in time to see Luke rock back on his heels and roll onto his flannel-clad back, a bent piece of metal held aloft in the jaws of some sinister-looking tool.

The smile that creased his face broke her heart. She missed that smile. He used to give that smile to her. That smile, those twinkling blue eyes, the spider web of fine lines fanning from his eyes... Not long ago, they were all hers. He was hers. He was hers and she was his – not so long ago.

Lorelai the jumble of clothes to her chest to muffle the pounding of her heart. Her teeth speared her lip, clamping it tight as he tossed the tool aside and plucked something from the depths of his toolbox. The toolbox she'd once named Bert. The toolbox that would never darken her doorstep again.

Luke's facile fingers worked the new bolt into the wheel and a low sizzle of jealousy simmered through her veins. Lorelai missed those fingers. She missed his fingers, his hands, and his mouth. Her body ached for the weight of his. Her senses screamed for a taste, a sniff, a caress, and that low chuckle he gave only to her. She wanted him. Lorelai wanted Luke more than she'd wanted anyone or anything in her life, but he no longer wanted her.

"In you go," he murmured.

His whispered words of encouragement to an inanimate object made the words bubble up in her throat. Dozens of them, each more useless than the last. A handful of jibes. A tiny pile of taunts. The scads of sarcastic comments that burned in her throat almost broke her.

Luke spun a nut onto the back of the bolt. The rasp of metal threads hissed through the empty auditorium. Tears, scalding hot and salty, stung her eyes.

"You lied," she said in a low, taut voice.

Luke froze. Slowly, he raised his head and straightened his shoulders. She saw the muscle in his jaw jump. He gave the nut another spin and reached for a wrench. He cast a quick glance at the back of the auditorium. Lorelai followed his gaze and saw the last harried mother shooing her offspring into the hall. The heavy metal fire door swung shut with a clang.

"It was all a lie," she said, the edge in her voice carrying the words up an octave.

The jaws of the wrench closed around the shiny nut. Luke's knuckles glowed white as he tightened his grip. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"The horoscope in your wallet. Eight years... Eight years of watching me, waiting for me... It was all a lie. You were never all in. If you were, you could never have walked away that easily."

The wrench clattered to the floor. Lorelai hugged the clothes to her chest. She hated the tremor in her voice. Screwing her eyes shut, she clenched her jaw, drawing on the burning coal of anger glowing hot and hard in her gut.

"You said you were all in," she hissed.

Luke gave the bolt one last twist and jammed his shoulder under the cart to lift the wheel from the floor. Lorelai blinked in shock as he gave the wheel a test twirl. It stopped abruptly when the cart dropped to the boards.

He straightened, unfolding his legs with a low groan. "Listen-"

Lorelai shook her head so hard she almost fell over. "No! You listen. You don't get to do this! You don't get to just decide when we're dating and when we're not!"

"Lorelai-"

The sound of her name tumbling so carelessly from his lips only fueled the fire. She charged across the stage. The bundle of clothing clutched in her arms provided the only buffer between them. Fiery tears gathered in her eyes, but Lorelai swallowed the lump that rose in her throat.

"You don't get all the say! You don't get to dance with me, kiss me, tell me you're all in, and then decide that loving me is too hard!"

Her angry words bounced off the auditorium walls and echoed through the cheap seats. Luke blinked and took an involuntary step back. Her blood roared in her ears. His lips moved, but no words came out. The knot of his Adam's apple bobbed and his hands clasped the blue ball cap on his head as if it held the top of his skull in place.

"Do you love me?" he rasped.

"What?"

Luke cleared the emotion from his throat and fixed his gaze on her. "Do you love me?"

Her eyes narrowed. She tipped her chin up at a stubborn angle. "Do _you_ love _me_?"

"I asked you first."

Lorelai pursed her lips and shifted the ball of costumes in her arms. "You're the one who walked away."

His mouth moved. Once again, all she heard was radio silence. But his eyes... Those cobalt eyes burned like blue flames. He wet his bottom lip and ducked his head, indulging in an intense study of the scuffed toes of his boots.

"Do you, Luke? Do you love me?"

"Eight years," he whispered haltingly. Luke raised his head. The fringe of lashes framing his eyes gleamed like polished ebony. "For eight years I've poured your coffee, flipped your burgers, fixed your porch rail, and served you pie..."

"Do you love me?"

"For eight years I've waited, Lorelai, knowing I'm not good enough-"

When he looked away, Lorelai tossed the bundle of clothes into Tevye's milk cart and advanced on him. Her palms pressed against rock-hard biceps, her fingernails bit through his protective layer of flannel, hoping to mark the tender skin beneath as hers once and for all.

"Do you love me?"

He gazed down at her warily. "What if I do?"

"Well, if you tell me you love me, it would make it a lot easier for me to tell you I love you too."

She heard his breath catch. Luke blinked then let it go in a whoosh. "Doesn't change anything..."

Lorelai stared straight into his eyes. "Luke, it changes everything."

"Does it?"

"Two weeks ago I was standing in a room full of wedding dresses. You know, the weird thing is... I never really saw myself in one of those big frothy things."

She wrinkled her nose and offered him a weak smile. "Even when I thought I was marrying Max and I had one of those hanging in my closet, I still couldn't see it."

The muscle jumped in his jaw and Lorelai took a tiny step forward, letting her hands slide up his arms until her fingers tangled in the curls beneath the bill of his cap. "But that night? I should have felt like I was drowning in a sea of satin and tulle, but I didn't. There was a dress... Such a pretty dress," she said in a voice barely more than a whisper.

"I held it up to me." Lorelai glanced down at her chest then back up into his eyes. "I held it up and I looked in the mirror... And I could see me in it. And you. I could see you."

"Me," he whispered, as if tasting the word for the first time.

"Not in the dress," she hastened to add. "Me in the dress, but with you."

He swallowed hard. His breath came in soft pants. With each rise and fall, the smooth flannel covering his chest teased the silk flower pinned to her jacket. His silence unnerved her. Biting her lip, she smoothed the collar of his shirt then forced a brittle smile. "If that doesn't scare you, nothing will, huh?"

"I love you," Luke said in a low, throaty voice. "But-"

Lorelai pressed her fingers to his lips, cutting off whatever objections he was about to voice. She felt them purse into a familiar kiss and her heart skipped a beat. "No buts. Please... No buts. Just tell me you love me," she said her voice low and steady.

Luke's fingers wrapped around her wrist and pulled her fingertips away from his mouth. Desperate to stave off whatever protest he was about to lodge, Lorelai pressed her lips to his, clinging to them, to him, and to what she feared might be her last moment of happiness.

"I love you," she whispered, ducking her head as they parted.

His lips caressed her forehead. He grazed her cheek and jaw before crooking one finger under her chin and tipped her face up. "Do you? Do you love me?"

A tiny smile quirked her lips. "I suppose I do."

The grin that spread across his face smashed that tentative smile to pieces, burying the doubts behind it in the deep grooves bracketing his mouth. "I suppose I love you too."

"It changes everything," she insisted.

Luke wrapped his arms around her, hauling her up against the wall of his chest. His palm caressed her neck, his thumb stroking the tender skin of her throat as his fingers sank into her hair. "But this is never gonna change."

Lorelai let her head fall back, knowing he'd hold her steady. "No..."

"I don't know what to do about it," he confessed.

"All you have to do is love me." She brushed her fingers across his cheek, smiling as the coarse stubble prickled her skin. Her eyes closed, her breathing grew shallow and wispy, and she tipped her face up. "Love me, Luke. We'll figure the rest out."

He kissed her, his mouth taking possession of hers, the heat of pent-up need pouring into her. Lorelai moaned and parted her lips. She took him in, drawing his tongue into her mouth and tangling her fingers in his hair. His ball cap tumbled to the floor. The seams of her jacket bit into her shoulders. The silly silk flower she'd pinned to the lapel was smashed flat between them.

Luke's hands were everywhere, working their way under her jacket and bunching the clingy fabric of her shirt in the small of her back. The warmth of his palm in that familiar spot almost uncorked the bottleneck of emotion she'd kept under wraps for over a week. Almost. Then she felt his lips curve into a satisfied smile against the pulse throbbing in her throat.

He smiled and she laughed pulling back just enough to shrug the jacket from her shoulders. Luke's eyes widened fractionally as his gaze trailed down to the deep vee of her shirt. She saw his nostrils flare. The heat of his stare shimmered on her skin. Chuckling, Lorelai leaned back onto the cart.

"Like what you see?"

"Love what I see," he answered gruffly.

Lorelai could see what it cost him to raise his gaze to meet her eyes. She beckoned to him with one hand, and hooked her heel behind his knee to be certain he got the message. He stepped forward then pulled back.

"We're, uh... We should go."

Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, Lorelai traced the neckline of her blouse and met his gaze boldly. "I'm afraid to leave here. I'm afraid you'll change your mind again."

"I never changed it to begin with. Not about you," he said solemnly. "I needed time to sort it all out. Everything just felt so... Wrong."

A sly smirk twitched one corner of her mouth. Her knuckles grazed her collarbone. "If loving you is wrong, I don't wanna-"

Luke stared at her hand, mesmerized. "I thought that was 'loving shoes'."

"Both." Her fingers strayed to the point of the vee.

"Stop that."

"Make me," she whispered.

Before she knew what was happening, her hand fell away, brushed aside with a negligent wave of his. His lips seared her skin, burning their imprint into her breastbone and wrapping her heart in healing warmth. Her pulse slowed to a dull thud then raced like wildfire.

His fingers curled into the fabric of her top. Stitches popped at the juncture of the vee when he dragged the fabric off her shoulder. Her bra strap slipped. He drew the tender skin beneath her ear into his hot mouth and his fingers slid into her blouse, laying claim to her breast.

Lorelai arched into his palm, bowing her back until her hair brushed the pile of costumes crushed beneath her. He yanked the fabric of her shirt down her arm and freed one breast from the lacy cup of her bra. Her nipple beaded, tantalized by his touch, and teased into a hard point by a rush of cool air. She moaned when his warm, moist breath washed over the sensitive tip.

"Luke," she whispered, threading her hands through his hair to hold him there.

His mouth closed around her and Lorelai collapsed. He followed her down, suckling with greedy, desperate pulls of his lips, teeth, and tongue. Cupping the back of knee, he drew her thigh to his hip and pressed against her. The hard ridge of his erection pressed against her mound. She writhed beneath him, snaking one hand between their bodies. He grunted his displeasure. Her answering laugh came as sharp as a knife.

Hooking one finger into the buckle of his belt, she gave it an urgent tug. Luke drew back, his lips pink and parted, his breath as ragged as the teeth of a saw blade. The unchecked need in his gaze stunned her. Lorelai blinked to clear the fuzz from her mind then glanced down. She lay exposed. To him, to the world, to the raw urgency coursing through her veins. The tip of her breast reached for him. Her nipple pebbled and damp, the rich, ripe red of a fresh raspberry.

"Thank God you love fruit," she whispered.

Before he could react, she pulled him back down again. His tongue circled the pouting point. Her breath got all tangled up in a throaty moan. He drew her deeper into his mouth, but it wasn't enough.

Lorelai fumbled with his belt, prying the leather from the buckle and pushing it impatiently aside. Luke's hands were everywhere – cupping her bottom, squeezing her breasts, stroking her thighs. She popped the button on his jeans and he reared back. The newly restored twenty-first century milk cart surged forward, crashing into the side of Tevye's house.

"This is crazy," he panted.

"Crazy is a tradition for us. You heard the man; traditions are what make us who we are." She smoothed his hair over his ear and smiled. "Crazy is us." Her smile melted into a puzzled frown. "Crazy _is_ us? Crazy _are_ us?"

"Shh." He pressed a hard, fast kiss to her lips, effectively silencing her.

"Right." Luke sucked in a breath when she flipped the tab on his zipper and drew it down. "But just for the record, I think we're a matchless match."

He opened his mouth to retort, but Lorelai reached into his boxers, wrapping her fingers around the pulsing length of his cock. Then, she had the pleasure of watching as words escaped him. Every word but her name, which seeped from his lips on a groan so heavy with yearning it nearly pummeled her.

"Again," she whispered.

His head fell forward. Fine, soft hair teased his temples in tufts too tempting to resist. She smoothed them away from his face, staring deep into his bottomless blue eyes. "Lorelai," he croaked.

Lorelai released her hold on him and pushed at his chest. Luke scrambled back, his feet finding the floor with a thud. "Sorry, sorry..."

"Again and again," she panted, tearing at the button on her own jeans.

He stared at her, his jaw dropping in shock. "What?"

She hooked her thumbs into the loosened waistband and pushed her jeans and panties over her hips. "Say it again."

"Lorelai?"

"You'd better be more sure than that," she grumbled as she shimmied the snug denim over her thighs. She planted one foot on his chest. "Boot." Luke blinked than wrapped his hand around the heel of her shoe, giving it a firm tug. "Zipper," she urged.

Growling his frustration, Luke found the zipper that led to her instep and yanked it down. She sat up and stripped her jeans and panties from one leg before the boot hit the boards. He ran a hand through his hair and spared the auditorium doors a nervous glance.

"Let's go-"

"Come here," she urged, tugging on the front of his shirt.

He gave in without a fight, falling onto her again with a sigh. "I can't believe we're doing this here," he whispered against her lips.

Lorelai wrapped her legs around him, smooth skin on one side and bunched denim on the other. "Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles."

He nuzzled her neck. "I want-"

"You," she finished for him, pushing his jeans and boxers over his hips.

"But-"

Lorelai touched her fingertips to his lips and stared straight into his eyes. "No buts, remember?"

"No buts," he agreed.

Slipping her hands into the gaping waistband of his jeans, she gave his ass a firm squeeze. "This is the only butt I'm interested in."

"Cut that out," he growled.

She tilted her hips and the tip of his cock brushed against her damp curls. "This? Cut this out?" His answering groan was all the encouragement she needed. "Luke?"

"Hmm?"

Sliding a hand between them, she guided him to her entrance. When he braced himself, poised in the brink, she closed her eyes and whispered, "Do you love me?"

"Yes." The simple word hummed between them, hanging in the air until she opened her eyes to see the truth. He surged into her damp heat, stealing the breath from her lungs. He kissed her deeply, giving it right back.

Lorelai cried out when he buried himself in her to the hilt, clutching at the hard ridges of muscle bracketing his spine and clinging to the soft flannel of his shirt. She inhaled, stretching her lungs as her body stretched to accommodate him. Luke began to move and she sighed her relief.

"Mazel Tov, Mazel Tov," she murmured.

Luke gathered her to him, holding her close to his heart. He smiled that smile that sucked her in and whispered, "Thank you."

Bracing her foot on the edge of the cart, she met each of his powerful thrusts. Her gaze locked on him, unwavering. Full. Never had she felt as full as she did with Luke inside of her. Right. His flesh buried deep inside her felt so right, tears sprang to her eyes.

Lorelai felt them clinging to her lashes, but she refused to relinquish her hold on Luke. One trickled onto her cheek and he shook his head, pressing his lips to the damp skin and soaking it up.

A sob rose in her chest, choking off her reply. She blinked back those treacherous tears and kept her gaze locked on him. Heat gathered low in her belly. Need coiled into a tight knot, pulling her nerves taut and straining her control.

Her frayed nerves cried out for release. Her nails raked the worn flannel of his shirt. His muscles rippled under her hands. He shuddered and whispered, "I love you, Lorelai."

She snapped, unraveling completely. He surged into her, driving her higher, riding the waves of pleasure that crashed and broke inside her.

"I love you. I love you," he chanted mindlessly as he poured into her.

A low moan of pure satisfaction rumbled past the sob dissipating in her chest. A slow smile curved her lips when he collapsed onto her. She welcomed his weight with open arms, wrapping herself around him in every way she could. Lorelai brushed a kiss to his fly-away hair then smoothed it with her hands.

"Ohhhh. L'Chiam," she sighed.

A silent chuckle rocked his body, sending jolts of pleasure through hers. "This is completely meshugenah."

Lorelai snickered and held him tighter. "I love you too," she whispered into his ear. "And don't forget it."

"I won't," he promised. Luke raised his head, glancing up at the stage lights above them. "We should, uh..."

"Leave Anatevka?"

"Yeah." He kissed her softly. "Come home with me?"

"Siberia?"

Luke grunted and lifted himself off her. "Diner."

Lorelai sat up and tried to straighten the tangled legs of her jeans. "Close enough for me."

He chuckled as he buckled his belt and bent to pick up her boot. "Damn sight warmer there than Siberia... Or the Rose Room, for that matter."

Her head jerked up and she pressed her hand to his chest. "Luke..."

Covering her hand with his, Luke shook his head. "Sorry. It doesn't change a thing, Lorelai. They can say what they want and do what they want, but nothing's going to change how I feel about you."

Her fingers curled into his shirt. Bunching the thick flannel in her fist she pulled him down for a hard, fast kiss. "That changes everything." Her smile broke through the dregs of the tension humming between them. "And, it's nice to know."

**A/N part deux: My first novel, **_**Paramour**_**, will release one week from today! I'm somewhere beyond excited and I want to share it with you, my fellow Gilmorians. **

**Message me through BWR or between now and 10PM January 17, 2011, and I will enter your name in a drawing for a signed copy and perhaps a few other goodies. If you would like to read the blurb for the book, you can find the link to my website on my author page. **

**Thanks again for your support and encouragement! I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me. You are so near and dear to my heart.**


	59. Handy Dandy Tongue Depressors

**A/N: Hi! Remember me? I'm still around. Woke up this morning in the mood to write a little Slip. That felt good! Now maybe I'll work up the energy to break out the forceps and deliver that elephant baby of Rory's in Packaged Goods. Anyway, just wanted to say hello and let you know I haven't deserted the Stars Hollow gang. **

**Handy Dandy Tongue Depressors**

The mahogany door swung wide and Lorelai darted out into the night. Beyond cringing, she kept her eyes on the prize—Luke's truck...freedom...peace.

"Opiate for the masses. Well, so what? We all have our opiates," her mother rambled. "For some it's ballet, for Luke it's baseball. Whoever I heard say it just happened to say it about what Luke likes."

Emily stopped dead in her tracks. The disdain that curled her lip did the trick. It always did. Just when Lorelai thought she was past the mortification, she found the strength to dredge up one last cringe as her mother eyed Luke's ancient but beloved green truck.

"Oh, no! Some workman has left his filthy truck in our clean driveway! Richard must have sent for him."

A faint smirk twitched Luke's lips and Lorelai sucked in a sharp breath. She stared at him in awe as he planted his feet on the spotless driveway and braced himself for another round of backhanded compliments served with thinly veiled insults. "Oh, that's mine, actually."

Lorelai wanted to pump her fist in the air and scream 'Hell yeah, it's his!'...Anything to douse that tiny gleam of triumph in Emily's eyes. "Oh. Well, it's nice. Rustic. I like the color," she said with an insincere smile.

He nodded, taking the proverbial blow on his scruffy chin. "Thank you."

"And I like this coat of yours, there's something nice about simple cloth."

"Thanks.

"Well, this was wonderful." Emily took two steps back, clearly as anxious to escape as they were. "Don't be a stranger, all right?"

"I won't. Thank you, Emily."

"Goodbye. Bye, Lorelai," she called from the doorway.

"Bye, Mom."

Luke raised his hand in that little half wave. "Thanks, again."

The front door closed and she wanted to snatch his hand. Emily Gilmore didn't deserve one of those waves.

"You know what's amazing, I mean truly amazing?" he asked.

"What?"

"She never said anything directly bad about me or the diner or anything else concerning me."

"She's good."

"And all I did was thank her. Over and over. She'd hammer me, and I'd thank her."

"It's a talent."

He turned to look at her, shell-shocked and perhaps a bit punch–drunk. "Rustic really did sound like crap pile that time.

The instinct to preserve and protect, the one she'd tamped down all through dinner because he didn't want to look weak, the impulse to throw her body across his and shield him from her mother's relentless cruelty came flooding back in a surge. Wrapping her arm around him, she urged him toward the truck. "Come on, babe. You'll feel better about halfway home."

"Good."

"Then the eye-popping nausea will hit you. The rich food mixes with the bitter memories and it all gets worse, and then it gets better."

"Good."

"Until you get to Route 44, and then you hit bottom."

"Good. Great," he grumbled.

"I'll be ready with a tongue depressor to keep you from swallowing your tongue. I keep them in my purse." He chuckled as she opened the door for him. "Step up."

Lorelai kept her mouth shut until they were out of Hartford. She didn't attempt conversation or fiddle with the radio. There was no point in messing with the radio, the ancient tuner hardly picked up anything but the sports talk station Luke preferred. Instead, she watched road signs and trees flash past her window, replaying each slur that slid from her mother's lips and analyzing each little bit of near-slander, mining for bits she might be able to turn into ammunition for the next round.

Glancing over a Luke, she winced when she saw the muscle in his jaw twitch and jump. She stared at him, and for one brief, horrible moment, she resented him. She swallowed hard, forcing down the lump that had risen in her throat as she turned back to the window.

Would it have killed him to wear the leather coat? And pants? It's not like he doesn't have nice dress pants. I know he does, I picked them out for him. He never had to go back there. He never had to subject himself to Emily's insults again if he didn't want to. He could pull a Nancy Reagan and just say no. I'm not so lucky. And how exactly does he manage to shave so it looks like he didn't shave? Just this once, couldn't he have actually scraped the razor across his precious skin? Oh, God! What am I doing?

A sign for Mattatuck State Park flashed past her window and she blinked, shaking off the resentment and diving head-first into panic. "Get off here," she blurted.

Jolted from his stupor, Luke jerked the wheel, coasting down the exit ramp. "Wha? Where are we going?"

Lorelai pointed to the right. "Head for the park."

"The park? The park is closed by now," he said, checking his watch.

"Don't go in through the main gate. Drive past and there's a little service road off to the right."

He shot her a puzzled look. "How do you know?"

Lorelai shot him a wry smile. "This is tongue depressor territory. Sometimes I just pull in and park until my blood pressure goes back to normal. Once, Rory and I spotted a family roasting marshmallows over a campfire, and they let us crash their party."

"Only you could talk your way into other people's s'mores," he said, shooting her an affectionate smile.

Lorelai returned it as he turned onto the rutted service road. "Actually, Rory was the one who pulled that one off. I was never so proud..."

"Yeah, I bet that beat the pants off being named valedictorian and all that other stuff." He pressed the brake and the truck jerked to a stop amidst a dense copse of trees. "This okay?"

She peered through the windshield, scanning the area for signs of late-season campers and wildlife partying the night away. Satisfied that they were alone, she sat back with a nod, turning to look at him. "Doing okay?"

"I'm fine."

He tried to brush her concern away was a dismissive wave, but she caught his hand. Her fingers curled around his, squeezing them tight. "This is what they do, you know," she began in a low voice. "They do this. They make you feel small, inadequate. Like every decision you've ever made is not only wrong, but incredibly stupid." The words tumbled out. She stumbled over a few of them in her haste to get them out. "They want to make you think you're not good enough. They want me to think you aren't, but they're wrong, Luke. So wrong..."

He turned toward her, his fingers grazing her cheek then sinking into her hair. "Lorelai—

"They're wrong because they can't see that _you're_ too good for _me_. Hell, you're too good for _them_!"

"Hey, hey," he whispered, pulling his fingers from her grasp and framing her face with both hands. "Lorelai, it's fine." He pulled her across the seat, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"It's not fine," she mumbled. She burrowed into his neck, comforted by the bristly rasp of his stubble.

"I'm fine. _We're_ fine," he whispered, kissing her hair. "Aren't we?"

She pulled back, staring straight into his troubled blue eyes. "You're so fine," she murmured at last. "Definitely too good for them, and probably way too good for me."

"Nah." A small smile quirked the corners of his mouth. "I'm just lucky you like rustic."

"And roadkill," she added. She slid her hands under his coat and smoothed his shirt over the hard planes of his back. "Don't forget how much I love some tasty roadkill."

The smile grew to full-strength and a chuckle rumbled from his chest. "Geez." He shook his head. "Unbelievable."

Closing her eyes, she leaned in, inviting a kiss. He didn't let her down. Luke never did. His mouth covered hers, his lips firm but soft, coaxing the tension from her body. He teased the seam of her lips, not so much asking for admittance as knowing she was dying to let him in. The moment their tongues touched, his fingers flexed in her hair and fire flared deep in her belly, warming her heart and melting her bones. She shifted on the seat to press against him aching for more, needing him to slash and burn his way through the doubts that clouded her mind. This kiss, Luke's kiss, was all she needed.

Well, that was a lie. She needed more much more. Fisting the lapels of his simple cotton coat, she leaned back, dragging him down as her tongue tangled with his.

"What are you doing?" he asked, breathless.

"Time for you to get to work," she panted, starting in on the buttons of his shirt.

"Huh?"

She freed three, popped the fourth, and then plunged her hands beneath the fabric, greedy for the feel of his skin against hers.

"Lorelai—"

"Shh," she crooned. Without bothering with her coat, she wriggled, working her sweater up over her stomach. The lace trim on her bra caught the curling hair that dusted his chest. "God, you feel so good."

He ducked his head, pressing soft kisses to her neck and throat. "We can't do this here," he protested in a harsh whisper.

Her head thumped against the window. Their legs tangled as she tried to straighten hers, stretching toward the driver's door. "Yes, we can." Her breasts strained against his chest with each breath she gulped. She arched into him and panted, "Skirt."

He groaned and hot, moist air tickled her ear. "We're too—

"Good," she finished for him. Wriggling, she pressed against the bulge in his jeans. "So good together."

Desperation edged his voice. "Let's go home."

"Here. Now." She cupped the rounded mounds of his ass and pulled him to her hard. "I want you now. Here. Dirty, sexy sex here in your filthy truck."

"Geez," he exhaled, grinding against the taut fabric of her skirt.

Hard, wet, open-mouthed kisses slicked her neck and jaw. He captured her lips, his tongue thrusting into her mouth, mimicking the raw, hungry tempo set by his hips. She snaked one hand between them, groping for his belt buckle. He broke the kiss, his eyes opening wide as she caressed him through the thick denim.

"I want you, Luke. You. Here. Now. Always," she whispered as she worked the leather free from the clasp.

He reared back, hitting head hard on the roof of the cab. For one heart-stopping moment she feared he'd say no, pull away...tell her this wasn't good enough for him. She wet her parched lips, a thousand pleas bubbling up inside her. He blinked then shook his head slowly. She opened her mouth to set the pleas free but was cut off by the rasp of his zipper.

"You're nuts, you know," he said in a gruff grumble.

"I know."

Unwilling to give him time to think things through, she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of his boxer briefs and pushed them down over his hips. His hard cock sprang free, jutting from the thick nest of dark curls. She licked her lips and sank lower against the door. Her skirt bunched around her thighs and she grabbed at it, ruching the too-thick material up over her hips. Luke braced his hands on the dash and the back of the seat, cursing under his breath as he tried to maneuver in the tight space.

"Got a whole big bed at home," he muttered. "Big enough for two."

Lorelai wriggled her panties down over her thighs and knees then bent one leg slightly, circling her foot until she was free. She clenched his arms, feeling the muscles bunch beneath his coat as he lowered himself onto her. A moan tangled in her chest, knotting there as the hard, hot length of him pressed against her mound. His chest crushed her, torquing her neck as he grappled for her thigh, sliding his fingers along her skin until his thumb brushed against her damp folds.

"I don't know how..." he murmured.

A slow smile curved her lips. She arched into him and whispered, "Yes, you do. I know you do."

Luke chuckled and shook his head. "We, uh, there's no room."

Batting his hand away, she grasped his ass, grinding their bodies together in an urgent demand. "Now. Here." she whispered, coaxing him toward her entrance.

She heard the ruthless grind of his teeth as she nestled the tip of his cock between her folds. He planted one hand on the seat beside her, his eyes locked on hers as he braced his foot on the floorboard and pushed forward.

Lorelai cried out. She raised her hips, straining to meet him. She bit her lip, fighting against the need to close her eyes. Instead, she stared back at him, willing him to rise to the challenge, wanting him to take whatever she had to give, and make her his no matter what anyone might say.

"Yes, Luke, yes... Hard, hot, fast...Show me how filthy this truck really is."

He snapped. She literally felt him unfurl as he plunged into her. Another tattered cry ripped from her lips and hard, taut muscle twanged like a bowstring under her fingertips. Soon he was caught up in her, twisted and tangled in the same web of raw need that clawed at her gut and ripped her heart to shreds.

Luke rose over her, his eyes boring into hers as she met him stroke for stroke. Fever swept through her body. He shivered and jerked, riding the waves of heat that consumed them both, pushing deeper and deeper until they hovered at the edge, bracing for that one last shove that would send them toppling.

"I love you."

The words clung to her lips, lingering in the sweat-tinged air enveloping them. A deep, guttural groan climbed from the depths of him, reverberating through her body. Her eyes closed as color burst within her, shooting like stars behind her eyelids. It wasn't until Luke's arms gave out and he collapsed onto her that she realized there hadn't actually been shooting stars. She smoothed one hand over his hair and he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

"I love you too," he whispered.

The stubble on his cheeks and chin abraded her skin, marking her as his. She sighed and hooked her leg over his, holding him close to her. She hid her flaming cheeks in the crook of his neck.

After a long moment he stirred, ducking his head as he looked up at her through a fringe of dark lashes. "You, uh, you said you wanted fast..."

Lorelai snickered. "I wanted you," she said as he tugged her skirt down over her hips.

They untangled their legs and Luke yanked his jeans and shorts into place, running one hand over his face as he fell back into his seat. Casting a sidelong glance at her, he started on the buttons of his shirt. "I may have...I could have done a little better with your mom."

Her head jerked up as she pulled her sweater down. "Huh?"

"I could have... I should have dress a little better, worn my other coat..."

"Luke, no—"

"I just...I knew it wouldn't make much difference, Lorelai, so I didn't and I probably should have," he confessed in a rush. He draped one hand over the steering wheel and hung his head. "I figured it was going to be bad no matter what I did. I mean, I've heard the stories..." He turned to look at her and shook his head sadly. "But I should have...I should have done it for you."

"Luke, I don't want you to be anything other than who you are."

"A nitwit?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"You aren't a nitwit!"

"I know I'm not." He reached for her hand. "And I know that you know I'm not. I'm just sayin' I should have made sure your mom knew that too. Instead, I just sat there like a moron taking whatever she dished out."

She pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it softly. "Honey, my mother has had decades of practice. She could make Albert Einstein feel like a doofus."

He pressed his palm to hers and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Still, I should have made her work a little harder for it. I'll do better next time."

A bitter laugh bubbled from her lips. "Oh no! We've done our duty. There won't be a next time."

Leaning his head against the seat, he met her eyes. "There will be a next time."

Lorelai bit her cheek and turned away. "I don't want to think about it anymore. It makes my eyeballs want to explode."

He leaned in, telegraphing his intent to kiss. "Lucky for you, I've got a tongue depressor handy."

She smiled as his lips brushed hers. "This filthy old truck has everything." She wound her arms around his neck and took the kiss deeper.

Settling back in his seat, Luke heaved a sigh as he twisted the key in the ignition. "Come on, I'll take you back to my filthy diner and fix you a delicious roadkill sandwich. Just don't look too closely at what you're eating."


	60. When Nick Met Nancy

**A/N: **My love for the Gilmore Girls has given me so much more than just a few laughs and a million heartfelt sighs. It's given me inspiration, comfort and courage. I'm always a little awed when I consider the fact that it's been over half a decade since the show has ended, but the love endures. I still get a thrill when I get a message from someone discovering my stories for the first time.

It seems silly to say a television show helped me find my voice, but it's true. It's also given me friendships that will last a lifetime and hours of free therapy. The fact is, it has been kind of a rough year for me. I've been wrestling with some pretty severe writer's block on some publishing commitments and I just haven't been able to break through. As a matter of fact, I was moaning to my lovely friends **Jewels12** and **deepfriendcake** when inspiration struck.

Maybe a trip back to Stars Hollow would get the words flowing again.

Being all hip and cool, **Jewels** and **Cake** nodded and smiled. They patiently consulted on the episodes, storylines, and settings I'd smexied up and which hadn't sullied (I didn't have **Chants**' spreadsheet handy). They encouraged me to text **Lulu **for an episode check. Then they sat back and zipped their lips (for the most part) until I worked myself up to tackling Lorelai and Luke again.

So here's a little **Slip of the Tongue** for you, my friends. I hope you like it. Thank you ever so much for all you have done for me. As always, I can't eat, sleep, breathe, or write without having **Jewels** on my team. That's why I keep her supplied with official Team Mags uniforms.

**P.S.** I don't want to mojo it or anything, but I wrote more words in the past 24 hours than I have in the last three months. Cross your fingers for me, because I can't cross mine and type at the same time!

**When Nick Met Nancy**

If there was one thing seventeen years of single parenthood had taught her, it was to grab her moments as they came. This was one of those moments.

Biting her lip in anticipation, Lorelai kept an eagle eye on the microwave timer. The rat-tat-tat of bursting bits of corn almost drowned out the insistent beep-beep-beep that signaled the final countdown. Jerking the handle, she cut it off before the machine could bleat its completion. She cast a guilty glance at Rory's bedroom door and pulled the bag from the microwave.

Luke was right, even if he deserved a face full of cream pie for saying so. She got lucky with Rory. But lucky or not, like every woman, she still needed a little time to just be herself.

Lorelai was more than willing to risk unpopped kernels for the sake of these scant few moments. Her moments. Those precious few minutes of the day when she didn't have to be the mom or the boss. For the next fifteen minutes or so, she would just…be.

Pinching the edge of the steaming popcorn bag, she tiptoed straight out the back door. Autumn air cooled her cheeks. A plume of steam rose as she tore into her treat. The rush of moist heat smoothed the worry lines from her forehead. Waving the bag to disperse the steam, she leaned against the rail and peered out into the darkness.

The confrontation she'd had with Jess still played in her mind. Indignation burned in her chest. Lack of caffeine wasn't the only thing that kept her on edge all day, and anger wasn't the only thing that kept her from stepping foot in the diner. The things Luke said hurt. They hurt more than she wanted to admit. Far more than she would have imagined. From the day she packed Rory's diaper bag and left her parents' home, Lorelai was sure to be very careful about the people she allowed into their lives. How did she not notice that Luke Danes had somehow burrowed past her defenses and planted himself in her world?

Sure, they were friends. Of a sort. The sort that consisted primarily of razzing, nagging, and harassing each other until one caved (usually him) and gave in to the other's will (usually hers). But more than that, she cared about Luke and genuinely wanted to help him with his thug of a nephew. That was probably why it hurt so much when Luke stepped over the line.

The things he said the night before were wrong. Flat out wrong. Yes, Rory was a great kid, but she didn't just hatch that way. No one knew better than Lorelai a parent's impact on her child. For better or worse.

That was why she thought she might be able to help Luke with Jess. What was she thinking? A grim smile curved her lips as she returned her attention to the bag in hand. Those two hot heads deserved each other.

Lorelai grabbed a handful of crisp golden popcorn and shoved it into her mouth, determined to enjoy her brief time alone with her thoughts. The Danes/Mariano men and their boatload of issues were not welcome. Not when she had a bag of microwave goodness all to herself. It was possible Rory could poke her head out of her room and demand her share of the take. She never should have taught the kid how to work the locks. Oh well. She wasn't about to spoil her moment by worrying about losing the moment. Not when she had the whole bag to snarf all alone.

Buttery, salty goodness tingled on her tongue. A moan of appreciation tangled in her throat. Hiking the waistband of her most comfortable, most stretched out, most Emily-Gilmore-would-be-mortified-to-know-her-daugh ter-wore-these pajama bottoms, she turned her back on the inky yard and padded toward the front of the house.

The porch swing groaned under her weight. The rafters above her head creaked. Crickets chirped, her daughter was snug in her room, and Luke Danes had spent the evening eating crow. Falling back against the swing's all-weather cushions, Lorelai heaved a contented sigh.

All was right in her world once more.

She made it more than a third of the way through the bag before a rustling at the side of the house made her freeze in place.

"Huuuuunnnh." Lorelai unlocked her jaw and tried to chew, but the popcorn she'd been enjoying turned to Styrofoam on her tongue. Pressing her toes to the chipped paint on the porch, she struggled to silence the groans of aged wood and untreated metal. The seat of the swing wobbled to a stop beneath her, but her mind raced ahead.

Raccoons in the trash cans again? Apricot out for an evening prowl?

She'd run over just after Rory got back from buying her folder to get an update on Pierpont's disappearance, but all she got was an eyeful of a breathless and disheveled Babette and an earful of how Morey believed rigorous sex to be the best treatment for stress and worry. Mortified, horrified, and a bit of every other –ified she could muster, Lorelai beat a hasty path back to the safety of her home.

_What? Are you sleeping with him or something?_

Her breath caught as the words Jess sneered at her the previous night came back in a rush. The question stirred a shock of arousal and the heat of embarrassment soon followed. She curled her toes against the floorboards and closed her eyes, willing the blush to recede.

Sleeping with Luke. As if.

Lorelai snorted at the thought, but she couldn't quite work up the scorn it deserved. Exhaling slowly, she set her jaw and ignored the hammering of her heart. She blamed the cold for the tightening of her nipples. Impatient tugs at the hoodie she'd slipped on over her Hello Kitty t-shirt hid the evidence but failed to eradicate it. Still, she shoved the thought down deep in the trash compactor in her mind. No way she was going to go there. And even if she wanted to, there was no way she'd let a chip-on-his-shoulder punk like Jess goad her into it.

The hiss of moving shrubbery yanked her back from the brink. Lorelai shook off all thoughts of Luke Danes, his obnoxious nephew, and blue, blue eyes filled with panic and desperation. She blocked out the memory of a husky promise of a non-danish-day danish and forced herself to search the darkness for the nocturnal creature who dared to invade her moment. The swing's weathered chains squeaked a protest as she leaned forward, craning her neck to peer in the direction of the Dell residence. Something she'd studiously avoided doing for the past few hours. Dimly, her brain registered darkened windows and a distinct lack of cries of ecstasy. Thank God. A shudder of relief raced down her spine.

The crickets picked up their song where they'd left off. The rumble of kernels shifting snared her attention. Lorelai righted the bag before she scattered her snack to the four winds and sank back on the swing, grateful for the reprieve. The last thing she wanted to do was call Luke with a request for rodent patrol.

Of course, if there were a creature lurking out there, Luke would be her go-to guy. He had been for longer than she cared to admit. And if she ever felt guilty about leaning on Luke too much, this afternoon gave her some vindication. This friendship was a two-way street, whether he wanted to admit it or not. He ran to her after he attempted to drown Jess. That felt good. Too bad his apology for the hurtful things he'd said smacked of desperation.

Danish or no danish, she wanted a real one.

Another rustle followed by a muffled curse catapulted her from the swing. Popcorn scattered at her feet. "Who's out there?" she blurted before fear clogged her throat.

Lorelai clamped a hand to her mouth. The invectives she usually hurled at horror movie heroines streamed through her mind. She gauged the distance from the swing to the front door, her thumb twitching to dial Luke and the police. In that order. Her muddled brain issued the command to move her feet just as the answer floated back to her on the crisp fall breeze.

"Lorelai?"

Her head swiveled. She squinted into the darkness between her house and Babette's. Seconds later, a tall shadow stepped into the circle of light cast by her living room lamp. The outline of a backwards baseball cap provided positive identification.

"You!" Snatching a faded cushion from the swing, she winged it at Luke's head. He ducked and the pillow sailed past. It wasn't until he straightened and she advanced a few steps that she caught sight of the gnome nestled into the crook of his arm. She blinked away her disbelief. "Is that Pierpont?"

Luke ran his hand over his face, tugging at his cheeks before he let go with a tired shake of his head. "I assume so. We haven't exactly been introduced."

Popcorn crunched under her feet as she rushed for the porch steps. The grass was crisp and cool between her toes. Dew dampened the cuffs of her pajama pants and her nipples tightened to painful points. Because of the cold. Luke Danes did _not_ make her nipples hard. That was her story and she was sticking to it. Lifting her chin, she wrapped her arms around her middle to hold the hoodie closed and resisted the urge to flatten her palms to her aching boobs.

She gazed up at him, expecting to find the begrudging warmth she knew he reserved just for her. But his expression was closed-off and grim. The pale glow of lamplight did little to blur the lines of worry creasing his handsome face. He looked anywhere but directly into her eyes, and that wasn't business as usual for Luke.

Then again, he'd had very little business as usual in his life lately.

Shifting her attention to the statue tucked under his arm, she tapped the wizened elf on his button nose. "Jess?"

Pierpont sank three inches when Luke's shoulders slumped. "He did it all." The break in his voice cracked the shell of her lingering anger like the candy coating on an M&M. "All of it. The bridge money, the fights, the smoking…I don't know what to do."

She gave his bicep a reassuring squeeze but released him when he tensed. As an act of contrition for crossing yet another of their invisible boundaries, she scarcely allowed herself a second to ponder how hard and strong the muscles he kept hidden beneath his flannel exterior might be. That alone was quite a sacrifice. Speculating about all things Luke Danes was one of her favorite pastimes.

"Just keep doing what you're doing." The words rolled out of her without much thought, but no one knew better than Lorelai how much easier they were to say than to do. Still, she plunged ahead. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to this kid."

Instead of comforting him, her assertion seemed to have the opposite effect. Luke pivoted on his heel, his boot kicking up a clod of grass as he took off across the pitch black lawn at a ground-eating stalk. "That's not sayin' much."

He tossed the bitter words back over his shoulder like a handful of salt. And like the snack-deprived glutton for punishment she was, Lorelai chased after him. "That might be true, but it doesn't make what you're doing for him anything less than incredible, Luke."

"What I'm doing for him," he grumbled in a derisive tone. Footsteps slowed as they approached the heavily mulched flowerbeds that encircled Babette's modified barn of a house. "I bought a blow-up bed and some sheets."

"And Frosted Flakes," she couldn't resist adding. "Don't forget the Frosted Flakes."

Luke didn't return her smile. Not even with one of those tiny smirky ones that are supposed to tell her that he's not amused by her antics even though he really is. He stared down at her for one long moment, letting the giant fist that clutched her heart get a good squeeze in before he answered. "Yeah. The Frosted Flakes are exactly what makes me so grrrrreat," he deadpanned.

"They _are _great." When he tried to turn away, she grabbed his arm again. This time, she didn't let go. Standing toe-to-toe in darkness that ate everything more than six inches from their noses, she stared straight into his startled eyes. "_You_ are great. You're one of the greatest guys I've ever known."

"Ranking right up there with Rory's dad?"

Lorelai registered the crack of her palm against his cheek mere seconds before the jolt sailed up her arm. The bright blue ball cap she'd placed on his head the previous Christmas landed on a freshly mulched shrub. Her mouth opened in surprise then snapped shut again. She took a staggering step back and so did Luke.

Then, to her eternal shock, he dropped to his knees. The palm of her hand burned with the sting of the slap. Pins and needles of sensation danced up her arm, but somehow she found it hard to believe she could bring someone as solid as Luke down with a single blow. Heat rose to the surface of her skin. She stared at the pinkened skin of her palm and whispered the only word that came to mind.

"Whoa."

Luke clung to the clay dwarf like the stupid pipe puffing gnome was the only thing real in his life. Dampness seeped through the knees of his jeans. He swallowed the lump of revulsion lodged in his throat, his gaze fixed on Lorelai's trembling hand. The hand that just slapped a little sense back into him.

"I'm sorry. That was wrong. So wrong." Wetting his lips, he fell back to sit on his heels. His grip on the statue loosened. He shoved the little troll into a vacant spot between two evergreens and held his hands up in surrender. Unable to meet Lorelai's eyes, he shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know why I said that."

She made a noise. A tiny huff or grunt that sounded like he was the one who'd done the hitting. His head jerked up as if pulled by an invisible string. He searched her stricken expression, hoping for a hint of the fire that fueled her strike. Finding none, he made a desperate grab for her hand.

"You know I don't think that," he said in a rush. "I mean, Lorelai…."

Their eyes met, and the resulting jolt seemed to yank the words out of her. "I hit you."

Wrapping her cool fingers in his, he gave them a gentle squeeze. "I deserved it."

"I've never hit anyone before in my life."

"Lorelai, you know I—"

"I've wanted to—"

"I think you're an incredible mom—"

"There are lots of people I've thought about smacking—"

"Not just a mom," he hastened to add. "I think you're incredible. You—"

"The occasional crappy customer at the inn—"

"You as a mom, but you as a person too…Incredible—"

"Michel on Monday mornings—"

"I need a different word—"

"Taylor could certainly use a whack or two—"

"You're smart and funny and you always know what to say—"

"There have been times when I wanted to punch Christopher—"

He flinched at the mention of Rory's dad's name. A wince so powerful he tugged on the hand he held snug in his grasp. "I'm sorry I said that. I had absolutely no right. And the stuff I said last night…I'm an idiot. You're the best mom I know. Rory's the best kid—"

Lorelai stared at him without seeing him at all. Then her legs buckled and she dropped to her knees facing him. "I came so close to hitting Rory once," she admitted in a horrified whisper.

"No." The denial came fast and fierce, and apparently he said it with enough force to startle her from her trance.

"I didn't."

"I know."

"But Luke, I almost did."

"But you didn't." His assertion seem to put a little steel in her backbone again. Hoping to keep it there, he pressed her hand between both of his. "You never would."

"Never." Their eyes met and held for an endless moment. His heart kicked when her tongue popped out to wet her lower lip. "But I reserve the right to push her into the lake if I need to."

Her lame attempt at a joke pricked a hole in his defenses. The relief of forgiveness pulsed through his veins. Overcome, he pulled their clasped hands to his mouth and pressed a fervent kiss to her knuckles. "Go ahead. I'll fish her out if I have to."

Lorelai blinked, a slow sweep of dark lashes shielding her vivid blue eyes. "I know you would."

Unable to resist touching her some more, he brushed her hair back from her cheek. "I don't know what's wrong with me lately."

"Your whole world is upside down."

Her words struck home. A wry smile twitched his lips, but he couldn't tear his gaze from hers. "Haven't felt right-side-up in a while."

Cool fingertips soothed the heat burning in his cheek. He leaned into the caress. "I can't believe I hit you."

"I can't believe I hurt you." Lorelai let her hand fall to her lap. He looked down to discover he still held the other captive in his. He stared at it, trying to control the impulse to kiss her soft skin again. "You know you're the last person I'd ever want to hurt."

"Luke—"

He failed. Her fingers curled around his as he pressed his mouth to the back of her hand. He dared a glance from under his lashes and found her staring at him in wide-eyed wonder. The devil made him do it. Or maybe it was her scent. All he knew was he needed to taste her. He kissed her hand again, but this time he ran his tongue over her impossibly smooth skin.

"Luke!"

He instantly recoiled as if her sharp gasp of his name were another slap. Lifting his head, he didn't bother to conceal his wariness as he met her steady blue gaze. Another apology tumbled from his lips before he could stop it. "I'm sorry."

"You keep kissing my hand."

The simple statement should have snapped him back into place, but when he looked into her eyes he saw no censure. Only curiosity and confusion. And the truth. She liked it when he kissed her hand. Frustrated and aching in every possible way, it took only a split second for Luke to decide it was time to go for broke. "I'd rather kiss your mouth."

His unrehearsed confession stunned them both long enough for Lorelai to slip her hand from his. A fresh wave of humiliation roiled inside him as she stared at him, eyes round with astonishment. He reached for her before she could scramble to her feet, framing her beautiful face in both hands, and falling headlong into her eyes.

"I mean it, Lorelai. Every word of it. I think you're amazing. You are without a doubt the most annoying, exasperating woman I've ever known, and I just can't help myself. That's why I fix your sink and feed you crap. I just want to be near you."

"Luke—"

She whispered his name in a voice soft with wonder. The breathiness of it fanned the tiny flame of hope that sprang to life the day she first walked through his diner door. Running the pad of his thumb across her lips, he shook his head in dazed wonder. "I think about you day and night. I can't not think about you."

"Luke—""

This time impatience sharpened her enunciation, but he was too far gone to care.

"I know you haven't really thought about me that way—"

"I—"

"And I know the thing with Max is still fresh—"

"I'm not…This isn't about Max."

"Damn right it's not," he growled.

"Are you going to or not?"

The demand burst from her, startling them both into stillness. Luke narrowed his eyes, his mind whirring in an effort to catch up. "Going to what?"

"Kiss me."

His eyes widened as her meaning tickled the edges of his consciousness. "You want me to kiss you?"

Her breath came in short, sharp pants, but her eyes never wavered. She wet her lips and gave a jerky nod. "On the mouth."

No need to ask him twice. Rising on his knees, Luke held her gaze as his fingers slid into her hair, telegraphing his intent well enough to give her time to pull back.

She didn't.

He'd imagined kissing Lorelai Gilmore hundreds of times, but the moment his lips touched hers he knew he'd gotten it all wrong. After years of dishing up pancakes and danishes and ice cream sundaes big enough to make a competitive eater blanch, he never imagined she'd be anything but sugary sweet. Not only was he wrong. He'd missed it by a mile.

Her soft, supple lips carried the tang of salt. Intrigued, he deepened the kiss. A savory hint of butter reduced him to a puddle of molten hot need. Popcorn. She'd been eating popcorn. He loved popcorn.

Luke ran the tip of his tongue along the seam of her lips, hungry for more than a taste. She released a little hum as she parted her lips and he swallowed the sexy sound whole. Pulling her closer, he angled his head and took the kiss deeper still, devouring her with hot, ravenous twists of his tongue. Blood rushed in his ears, each beat of his heart driving it to points further south. Lorelai ran her hands over his chest and down his arms, making his head spin.

"Lorelai," he gasped when they came up for air. She answered with a trail of messy kisses strung along his jaw and a two-handed grope of his ass. "Lorelai!"

"There's not a woman in Stars Hollow who hasn't thought about doing that."

Planting both hands on his chest, she gave him a shockingly strong shove. Luke held his ground for a split second, but the determined gleam in her eye showed him there was valor in surrender. Her momentum carried them both onto the lawn. He unfolded his legs as he stretched out beneath her. His eyes rolled back in his head when she braced her hands on his shoulders and pushed back to straddle him.

He fit his hands to the gentle flare of her hips. Swallowing hard, he gazed up at her from under his lashes. "Do your worst."

She quirked an eyebrow and leaned in close. The ends of her hair tickled his throat. Soft puffs of breath warmed his cheeks and chin. "I want you to keep doing your best."

In a flash he had her flat on her back. Lacing his fingers through hers, he pushed them high above her head as he lowered his weight onto her. "I think you're amazing."

"So you said."

She wiggled beneath him, sending arrows of lust hurtling straight for his crotch. Luke closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of her stretched out under him.

"Luke?"

"Hmm?"

"My mouth," she whispered.

A smile curved his lips as he lowered his head. He kissed her slow and deep, his tongue circling hers as if his blood wasn't threatening to burst from his veins. Unwilling and unable to pretend any longer, he pressed his raging hard-on to the sweet spot between her legs. Lorelai moaned low and deep. Thrusting against the thin barrier of her pajama pants, he trailed kisses across her cheek to her jaw to her throat. "I want you, Lorelai," he whispered into the shell of her ear. A delicate shiver raced through her body. He smothered it with another soul-searing kiss. "I want you so bad I can't think straight."

Her nails bit into the backs of his hands. "Don't think straight."

He chuckled. Hot, breathless mirth erupted from somewhere so deep inside of him he couldn't have stopped it if he tried. Burying his face in the crook of her neck, he let each tremor rumble through his body.

"I mean it," she whispered, urgency rasping her voice as she fought against his hold on her.

"I'm not going to do this here."

He issued the statement in his sternest, most no-nonsense tone. Unfortunately, he'd never had to try to keep his word with Lorelai Gilmore pinned to the cool, damp grass beneath him. Despite the layers of clothing between them, he felt every inch of her from the tight points of her nipples to the mind-melting heat between her legs.

"Here. Now."

Her urging fueled the fire raging inside of him, but not enough to incinerate his brain. "I can't."

Luke kissed his way down the side of her neck, drawing the silky skin against his tongue but stopping just short of marking her. He wanted to. He wanted to suck hard and deep. A part of him wanted to mark her indelibly, so everyone around would know on sight that this dazzlingly bright and sexy woman was his and his alone. She writhed beneath him and there was no suppressing his groan.

"I won't."

He whispered the vow more to himself than to her. Nipping at the collar of her shirt, he shifted lower.

"Luke—"

"But I want to."

The gruff reassurance made her squeeze his fingers. Hard. Shifting his weight onto his knees, he nuzzled her jacket aside then smothered the cartoon cat stretched tight across her chest in wet, open-mouthed kisses.

"God, I want to."

His mouth closed over the tight bud of her nipple and pulled. Lorelai arched her back, surging against him as he suckled her through her shirt. Fired by her response, he tongued the hardened tip. When he used his teeth, Lorelai's gasp echoed through the night and embedded in his brain.

Crazed by the instinctive come hither of her undulating hips, he retreated further, dragging their joined hands down to rest on her chest. There, he released his hold on her to claim her breasts, a gratified groan rolling through him as she threaded her fingers through his hair. He caught the drawstring on her pants between his teeth and gave it a playful tug. Lorelai moaned and writhed beneath him, her frenzied movements the equivalent of tossing a match on a puddle of rocket fuel.

Pushing back, he pressed his mouth to her flannel-covered mound. A low hum of satisfaction rippled from his chest when she raised her hips, offering herself up to him. Grasping her ass, he held her there, his eyes locked on her face as he waited for the protest that was sure to come. But when Lorelai opened her mouth, the word he heard sounded suspiciously like, "Please."

The scent of arousal seeped through the thin layer of her pants. His hands convulsed on her ass. The fact that she wasn't wearing any panties beneath the bottoms hit him like a mule kick to the head. Hercules wouldn't have been strong enough to resist.

Luke nuzzled her, groaning long and deep when the damp musk of her flooded his senses. His tongue lashed out, lapping at the brushed cotton and greedily drawing every ounce of her excitement from the fibers. Then he dove in.

Relentless in his quest to make her as crazy as she made him, he used the wet flannel to drive her up. His head popped up when Lorelai cried out, but she instantly covered her mouth with her own hand. He smiled and tugged the drawstring until the knot unfurled.

"I want you, Lorelai, but not here on the grass."

She used the hand that had muffled her cry to shield her eyes. "Please, Luke."

He yanked her pajama pants over her hips but left them just above her knees. Pushing his hands under her ass, his mouth grazed her inner thigh. His breath stirred the dark curls between her legs. A tremor ran through her.

"Look at me." He held his breath. The moment stretched endlessly but at last she lowered her hand. When their eyes met and held, he dipped his head and pressed a chaste kiss to those downy, damp curls. "I don't know how we're going to make this happen, but somehow, some way, we will."

"How?"

The ragged edge of need in her question made his gut ache. The only thing he could do was promise to try his best. But words, the right words, were never his thing. He'd proven that over and over in the last couple of days. Knowing he had to find another way, he lowered his head once more and put his mouth to much better use.

His head spun at the first heady taste of her. His body hummed with electricity. He held her just where he wanted her, licking and kissing and teasing her damp folds. "Let me. I just want to love you."

She attempted to part her thighs for him, but the waistband of her pants restricted her movement. Thankfully she was open enough for his tongue to slip in. Like a starving man, he buried his face in her, his tongue circling her swollen clit then dipping lower to press into her. Lorelai bucked and moaned, grinding against his tongue with each pass over the sensitive bundle.

He drove her up fast and furious, determined to blow her mind before she had a chance to change it. His fingers traced the crevice of her ass. He sucked her clit, drawing it into his mouth as he imagined her doing the same to his dick. She gasped his name, her grip on his hair tightening to the edge of pain. Thrusting his tongue into her wet heat, he moaned into her as her body contracted. His fingertips bit into the soft flesh of her ass as her movements became wild and jerky. He fucked her with his tongue, determined to drink in every bit of this moment, petrified that, despite his brave words, it might never happen again.

At last, her muscles grew soft and lax. Her wispy pants and whimpers chased the roar of blood from his ears. He didn't want to miss a second of this stolen time. Pressing his damp chin to her thigh, he looked up at her, watching warily as she came back down to earth.

Luke bit back a sigh when he felt the shift in her awareness. He quickly covered her, tying the drawstring at her waist with a neat bow and avoiding her eyes as deftly as she avoided his. "I meant it all, Lorelai. Everything I said tonight."

"How? I have Rory, you have Jess." She circled her hand in a gesture of futility then let it fall back to the ground.

He sighed and looked away, a part of him glad to know he wouldn't have to worry about hobbling home. There was nothing like a cold rush of reality to kill an erection. He turned back to Lorelai and found her blinking up at the moonless sky as if it had all the answers.

"Do I set aside a room at the inn for naughty nooners, or do we wait until the coast is clear and hang a sock on the door? Do we sneak around, or are we a thing?"

"We're a thing." She jumped as if startled by his answer, but her eyes locked on his. Unnerved by her unblinking blue stare, he tried to shrug off his uncharacteristic enthusiasm. "I mean, you're my thing…uh, you're a thing for me…Geez!" He threw up his hands in frustration and pinned her with a glare. "I want more than sex, okay?"

A surprised laugh burst from her lips. "Okay! Gotcha! More than just sex."

If he hadn't been so mesmerized by the way her nose crinkled and her eyes sparkled, he might have thought she was mocking him, but looking down into her happy face, he couldn't make himself care. Shaking his head at them both, he rolled to his feet. Lorelai stared up at him as if she'd never seen him before. For his part, the picture of her sprawled on the grass with her dark hair fanned behind her head and her cheeks flushed with pleasure was better than any fantasy he'd ever been able to conjure. Her t-shirt and pajama pants showed spots dark with dampness. The jacket she'd tried to use as a shield lay spread open wide.

He offered her his hand and she took it, simple as that.

She threaded her fingers through his as they tugged their rumpled, wet clothing back into place. Lorelai was unusually quiet as they crossed the lawn, but it wasn't an uncomfortable quiet. And she didn't let go of his hand. At the foot of the steps, he drew to a halt and turned to face her. "When I said what I said before, about meaning what I said, I meant the other stuff."

Her forehead creased as she peered up at him. "Other stuff?"

"You know, the other stuff." Huffing an impatient breath, he tugged her closer. "The part about you being incredible and amazing and me needing new words."

"I'm pretty sure Rory has a thesaurus in there—"

He cut her off with a hard, possessive kiss, unwilling to be derailed now that they'd set things in motion. When he let her go, Lorelai looked gratifyingly stunned. "I don't need a thesaurus."

"What do you need?"

"You." Her sharp inhalation told him he'd struck home. "I need to be near you. I need you to keep me from screwing everything up. Or, at least, I need you to tell me when I am," he added with a wry smile.

"I can do that."

The smile grew to goofy proportions, but Luke couldn't stop it if he wanted to. "Good." He pressed one last kiss to the back of her hand then took a step back as he let go. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Just for the record, are you against the naughty nooner idea?"

"Not in the least," he answered without missing a beat.

Lorelai fixed him with a dazzling smile then gave her head a bewildered shake as she climbed the porch steps. "I'm taking you up on that danish, you know."

"I consider myself warned."

She paused at the door, her hand wrapped around the handle. "And Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"You're doing great," she said with a sly smile. "Just keep doing what you're doing."


End file.
